21 August 2012

Al-Jandaliyah Established Protected Area - Location Details

Al-Jandaliyah is a small reserve, approximately 1160 km2, to the south of the Hafr al-Batin road. The area was selected as a typical representative of the Dahna’ sand belt biotope. Dunes border the reserve to the north, while mixed sand and gravel plain constitutes the principal habitat. The area is of interest as a stop-off site for migrant Macqueen’s Bustards. Management objectives of this reserves are to maintain the ecosystem without degradation of its biological diversity and productivity; to conserve and restore the populations of threatened species and other key taxa; to reintroduce species that have disappeared from the site, possibly including the Reem Gazelle, Ostrich, and Arabian Oryx; to safeguard the site’s natural processes and the ecosystem services they generate, to restore degraded habitats, to enable the local communities to benefit through sustainable use of renewable natural resources, and to provide opportunities for scientific research, environmental education & sustainable nature-based recreation.