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BREAKING
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street

War on Yemen turns nature reserve back into waste dump

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 17 Mar 2022 10:40
3 Min Read

Yemen's Al-Heswa nature reserve has fallen victim to the Saudi-led coalition's ongoing aggressive war on Yemen.

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  • Yemen war turns nature reserve back into waste dump
    Yemen war turns nature reserve back into a waste dump.

The United Nations originally heralded Yemen's Al-Heswa nature reserve as a paragon of conservation efforts, but the Saudi-led coalition war on Yemen has turned it into a trash-strewn wasteland reeking of sewage.

The ticket office at the entrance to the 19-hectare (47-acre) site in Yemen's southern city of Aden, where trees have been cut down and construction trash has been deposited, has been abandoned.

Crows have flooded what was once a refuge for flamingos and other migrating birds.

"Al-Heswa used to be a recreational outlet for residents and tourists," said Aden resident Ibrahim Suhail. "It has now become a rubbish dump, full of insects and sewage."

Al-Heswa, which was designated a nature reserve in 2006, was one of 35 initiatives honored with the UN's Equator Prize in 2014 for addressing climate and development concerns via the sustainable use of nature.

Read more: UNICEF: 10,000 minors killed or injured in Yemen since 2015

Wastewater that would have otherwise flowed into the sea was cleansed and channeled to construct an artificial wetland on the site of a former waste dump, attracting migratory birds.

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In 2012, the initiative was the first of its kind in Yemen, enhancing livelihoods, providing jobs, and producing approximately $96,000 in cash.

"The communities behind Al-Heswa Wetland Protected Area have successfully transformed a garbage dump into a functioning wetland ecosystem that provides a breeding site to more than 100 migratory bird species," the UN Development Programme said at the time. 

Insecurity from violence

However, Yemen, already the poorest country in the region, has been suffering under the Saudi-led coalition war since 2014.

The director of Yemen's department of nature reserves, Salem Bseis, said the wastewater treatment tanks had not been serviced since 2015. Some nearby residents have seized parts for their personal use.

"This led to a disruption in the maintenance and treatment of sewage," Bseis said.

World's worst humanitarian crisis 

The UN considers war-torn Yemen to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people murdered directly or indirectly as a result of the conflict.

The war has driven millions of people to flee their homes, bringing the country dangerously close to famine.

"Insecurity from violence, war, and conflict poses the most significant threat to the long-term sustainability of this initiative," the UNDP Development Programme said.

"Since the intensification of the conflict in Yemen, visitor levels have dropped to zero." But the UN believes that all do not have to be lost.

"When peace is restored, the community is committed to working with government officials to enhance the economic and environmental services provided by the protected areas," it added.

See more: #EndTheSiegeOnYemen: A global campaign to stand with Yemen

  • Yemen
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi-led coalition
  • Nature
  • Environmental disaster

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