The Mountain Regions of the United Arab Emirates: An Ecosystem Perspective

Abstract

AbstractThe mountains of the eastern UAE and northern Oman have long been recognized as a distinct biogeographical province hosting a mix of regional, endemic and relict species. This chapter treats the mountain regions of the UAE for the first time as an ecological unit in their own right, independent of generalizations often primarily rooted in Oman-based studies. They are recognized as a system of interrelated but geologically, physiographically, geochemically, hydrologically, floristically, and sometimes faunistically discrete sub-units: the Hajar Mountains, the Ru′us Al Jibal, the Dibba Zone, Jebel Hafeet and related Foreland Ridges, and the Alluvial Plains. Wide-ranging field investigations have shown that the mix of plant species varies significantly among these ecological sub-units. The Hajar Mountains feature the world’s most extensive exposures of ultrabasic bedrock, which elsewhere have been associated with low botanical diversity and high endemism. Such relationships in the Hajar Mountains have been largely ignored, although recent fieldwork has identified a dozen or so species evidently sensitive to ultrabasic geochemistry. UAE mountain flora and fauna vary significantly with latitude, corresponding to both regional factors and higher elevations in the northerly Ru′us Al Jibal. Temporal change is accelerated by human activity, including the proliferation of dams and other infrastructure.