Islands at the crossroads of civilization

Once a legendary place at the edge of known maps of the world, Socotra has long been a place of mystery and wonder. Dating back thousands of years, the island has been an important point on many ancient trade routes and over the centuries the Greek’s, the Romans and more modern-day Arab and African traders have all passed through this archipelago. 

Because of its location, Socotra has also found itself at a convergence of culture. The ancient trade of incense, frankincense, myrrh, and dragons blood resin has left footprints of cultures and civilizations across the islands. Dating back centuries the island has been home to both fishing communities, the majority of whom trace their ancestry to ethnic groups located in the Horn of Africa, and to nomads, who are mostly descended from Arabic tribes. These communities’ live side by side on the island, although they inhabit different spaces and maintain different cultural identities. The bedouin live primarily in the island’s wadis and mountain regions, in caves and ancient dwellings built from stone and rock, scattered amongst the Dragon’s Blood trees. They move around with their livestock from one settlement to the next, seldom coming down from the mountains to the coast. Socotra’s fishing communities live in small coastal settlements and have an incredible knowledge and relationship with the sea. They live in symbiotic harmony with the ocean, seeing it both as a source of livelihood and a sacred resource to be cared for and preserved. Soqotri is still spoken widely on the island. This ancient oral language is the most archaic and isolated of all languages spoken in Yemen and Oman. Its vocabulary is immensely rich, with distinct verbs defined by things like the time of day, place and people involved.  

But Socotra’s natural and cultural heritage is like an ancient book of beautiful, precious texts - of which only one copy remains, fragile to the softest touch. Socotra faces a myriad of threats and pressures that place this incredible ecosystem and its people under growing stress. The last 30 years have seen a rapidly changing climate and a rise in climate change impacts on the island’s delicate natural ecosystem, including cyclones and increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns. The ongoing conflict in Yemen has increased the islands economic isolation from the mainland, driving up the cost of living, decreasing economic opportunities and compounding the problems that local communities are facing. A recent rise in foreign visitation to the island offers economic alternatives and opportunities for local communities, but tourism has been largely unregulated so far and is posing as many threats to the island’s delicate natural balance and its people as benefits.

As we begin expeditions to Socotra and the wider archipelago, understanding these threats and the implications of visitation on these fragile islands is paramount to our planning. We strive to ensure that our physical footprint is minimal, that we protect and conserve the island’s rich biodiversity, and that we are respectful of the needs and interests of Socotri people and communities. We do this by prioritizing local knowledge and partnerships, taking time to carefully plan each and every expedition, and searching for opportunities to support locally-led initiatives that address the core needs of the islands people and its environment.