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Location:
16o20´ 17o20´N, 41o24´ - 42o26´E in the southern Red
Sea,
Area:
696 km2
Type:
Special Nature Reserve, Resource Use Reserve, Controlled
Hunting Reserve.
Year of establishment:
1989 Natural Reserve
Objective:
Protect the stands of Mangrove, Dugong and Gazelles.
Management:
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development
(NCWCD)
Geographical aspects:
The Farasan Island group is a large archipelago of Red
Sea coral islands lying 40 km offshore from Jizan, with
many low-lying islands and islets. Some islands are
bare and surrounded by coral, while others are sandy.
The largest island is Farasan Kabir, being 66 km long
and 5-8 km wide, and the highest point does not exceed
72 m. It has the greatest biological diversity of any
site in the Saudi Arabian Waters of the Red Sea.
Flora:
There are several dense stands of mangrove, mostly the
black mangrove, Avicennia marina and red mangrove, Rhizophora
mucronata, seven species of sea grass is present in
the surrounding waters. The important plant communities
include Commiphora, Acacia and Salvadora.
Fauna:
231 species of fish, 49 species of reef building coral,
3 species of Dolphin, wide diversity of molluscus, crustaceans,
large numbers of breeding seabirds as well as populations
of breeding Ospreys Pandion haliaetus and Sooty Falcons
Falco concolor are also of considerable importance.
A remnant population of endangered Dugong Dugong dugon
and the only known confirmed breeding site for Crab
Plover Dromas ardeola on the red sea coast of Arabia.
The Islands include the largest wild population of gazelles,
Gazella gazella farasani (an endemic subspecies of the
idmi gazelle).
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