‘Uruq Bani Ma’arid

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

'Uruq Bani Ma'arid is situated at the western edge of Ar-Rub' al-Khali, known to be the largest continuous sand sea on Earth. The property’s hyper-arid desert represents iconic wilderness of Arabia and conserves one of the Earth’s most spectacular desert landscapes with a wide variety of wildlife habitats. It harbours greater biological diversity than any other part of Ar-Rub' al-Khali and features one of the world’s largest longitudinal sand dune systems overlying a dissected limestone plateau, and the southern end of the Tuwayq Escarpment with its vegetated wadis, gravel plains, and inter-dune corridors. The gradient of natural habitats embraced within the property forms the building blocks of a functioning ecological network of patterns and processes supporting the survival and viability of key plant and animal species of global importance, including successfully reintroduced species. 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid is the last place where Arabian Oryx were observed in the wild, and it is now the focus of an intensive and successful reintroduction program for Arabian Oryx and other keystone species, such as the Arabian Sand Gazelle, and the Arabian Mountain Gazelle.

Located at the southern end of the Jabal Tuwayq limestone escarpment, the area covered by the property exemplifies the interaction of Ar-Rub' al-Khali’s dunes with the escarpment creating a topographic diversity that distinguishes the property from the surrounding areas of the Ar-Rub' al-KhaIi. Where the dynamic sand dunes witness the process of species adaptation to extreme physical environments, the more stable escarpment provides the sporadic refuge needed for the survival of the property’s free-ranging species. In total, the property encompasses 1.27 million hectares of intact desert ecosystems with a buffer zone of 80,600 hectares.

Criterion (vii): 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid is an iconic hyper-arid sand desert representing the largest sand sea on Earth, Ar-Rub' al-Khali. Where the sands meet the Tuwayq escarpment, they form an extraordinary spectrum of juxtaposed contrasts and fusions of forms and colours. 35 longitudinal sand dunes (‘uruq in Arabic) reach up to 200 km in length and rise up to 170 m in height. Their wavelength ranges between 2.5 and 4.5 km. The property is also distinguished by the widespread presence of zibars, which are particularly well-developed in the property. Zibars are features that are generally of low relief, without well-formed slip faces, and composed of coarse and relatively poorly-sorted sand.

The property serves as an ecological refuge for iconic wildlife of the desert and offers a world-class panorama of the windblown sands of the Ar-Rub' al-Khali desert, with some of the world’s highest longitudinal dune fields, and inter-dunal corridors, eastward-flowing high vegetation wadis, the Tuwayq Escarpment engulfed by westward flowing sands, and low sand plains to the west of the escarpment. A wide spectrum of colour harmonies derives from the resonance of contrasting hues of the sand grains in the ripples that cover the dunes. A true portrait of the desert where the light-coloured Arabian Oryx (or wudayhi, meaning clear in Arabic) contrasts against the large-scale and dramatic backdrop of the hyper-arid environment.

Criterion (ix): The varied topography of the property creates a wide range of wildlife habitats and niches, including ecological refuges for the Arabian Oryx, Arabian Sand Gazelles and Arabian Mountain Gazelles, successfully reintroduced into their natural habitats (in the case of the Arabian Oryx, after decades of extinction in the wild), with each having 19%, 25% and 2% respectively of their total worldwide population present within the property. The animal populations are completely free ranging in a huge area with a high level of ecological integrity. Ingenious adaptations by plant and animal species to the hostile environment and speciation processes can be observed. The Arabian Sand Gazelle is adapted to great extremes of temperature and drought and the Arabian Oryx is able to adapt to rising temperatures. The property counts 526 recorded species at the time of inscription, forming an intact ecosystem. The Tuwayq Escarpment and its associated network of inland wadis play a vital role to support woody perennial plants, which are essential as feeding and shelter areas for the flagship species.

Whilst low on biodiversity compared to other desert properties globally, 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid appears to exhibit the richest flora in the Ar-Rub’ al-Khali with 118 plant species recorded and a high level of endemism. The area also hosts five reptile species endemic to Arabia and it is a critical site for plant conservation, with locally endemic, near-endemic, regionally endemic and/or regional range-restricted taxa.

Integrity

The property stands out due to its large size and high level of integrity with impacts from tree-cutting, overgrazing, hunting and other drivers of desertification largely being absent. The vast area of the property ensures representation of the hyper-arid desert ecosystem with all its elements covered and subject to undisturbed evolution. The trophic network is intact and in balance. However, it is important to note the fragile nature of the property’s ecosystem, especially in the context of climate change.

The configuration of 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid, combining sand dune systems with an escarpment and incised plateau creates an exceptional “edge effect” for the survival of wildlife in a hyper-arid environment. Integrity is maintained thanks to the property’s remoteness and long distance to major developments. A rugged terrain and harsh climate have deterred permanent human residence and large-scale resource use.

Protection and management requirements

The property is congruent with the 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area, which effectively protects flagship species. It is important to maintain the high level of intactness of the property and to ensure the desert ecosystem remains undisturbed and will not be affected by camel grazing and illegal wildlife hunting. It is excluded from oil and gas exploration and extraction, which is confirmed by Royal endorsement. Requirements of environmental audit, rehabilitation of former quarry sites, and needs to monitor private farms in the vicinity of the protected area are receiving adequate     attention at the time of inscription.

In 1996, 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid was designated a protected area by Royal Decree and it enjoys the highest level of protection at the national level. The property is entirely state-owned with no private lands or land claims within its boundaries. It is adequately protected by national legislation. The main legislative framework is the national environmental protection law of 2020, which represents a legal umbrella. It is executed through several bylaws, including an updated protected areas bylaw, ratified by the Government in September 2021, which is the main legislative instrument pertaining to protected areas. The National Centre for Wildlife is the national authority in charge of proposing, managing, and supervising protected areas. Other legislative frameworks regulate human activities primarily outside protected areas, including the national wildlife hunting regulation, wood cutting regulation, environmental violations and penalties regulation, environmental licensing for the construction and operation of development activities regulation, and the environmental rehabilitation and degraded and polluted sites regulation. Increased camel grazing, occurring in the sustainable resource use zone, and illegal wildlife hunting are the main activities that could become a concern. They are both adequately addressed by the management team at the time of inscription. A buffer zone to the west protects the property against environmental degradation from nearby development activities.

A three-year management plan guides the property’s transition from a national protected area to a World Heritage property. Implementation started in 2021 and all required human, financial, and logistical resources have been allocated, along with national and international technical expertise. On-site management is guaranteed by more than 140 staff and sustainable funding is provided by the Government. In 2021, an updated zoning plan was developed, representing a ten-year conservation vision for the protected area as a natural World Heritage property. This will ensure the highest level of integrity and effective long-term protection of the property’s natural values and attributes. At the time of inscription, the property is divided into four distinctive zones balancing conservation and sustainable development objectives: wilderness zone (54%), nature-culture ecotourism zone (2%), sustainable resources use zone (44%), and the general use zone (less than 0.5%), in addition to a buffer zone of 80,600 hectares.