Hanan Al-Khalifa

• Biodiversity Journal, 3 (3): 179-188

  Hanan Al-Khalifa, Afaf Al-Nasser, Mohammad Safar Abbas & Jamal Dashti
  Biodiversity and conservation of Wildlife at the Wafra area in Kuwait

  ABSTRACT
  In response to the increasing needs to conserve wildlife and to enhance biodiversity, the Joint Operations-Wafra (JO-Wafra) protected their natural environment by fencing and dedicating areas for conservation of biological diversity. The main objective of this study is to conduct a wildlife baseline assessment in the oilfields of JO-Wafra and to identify potential habitats of endangered or threatened species that could occur on site. The wildlife survey covered the winter and early spring seasons. Although short and insufficient to provide a detailed assessment, the field data collected indicated significant differences in the number of individuals and wildlife fauna species within the fenced and unfenced oilfields. It also showed that the fenced JO-Wafra has rich and diverse wildlife fauna species, an indication of ecological health. In addition to JO-Wafra oilfield, it is recommended to protect the South Umm Guddair (SUG) oilfields from livestock grazing and wildlife hunters. The protected area could, therefore, increase wildlife habitats and might harbor some endangered wildlife species. It is also recommended to connect the two oilfields with native shrubs and trees planted along the road, to serve as “green corridor”, shelter and additional source of food for the animals of both oilfields.

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