Wetland Natural Reserve, Aden

The wetlands of Aden Governorate are among Yemen’s most significant natural heritage areas, forming ecologically rich landscapes with major environmental, social, and economic value. They provide critical feeding, nesting, and stopover habitats for large populations of migratory and resident waterbirds moving annually between Europe, Asia, and Africa.
These ecosystems depend on Gulf waters (part of the Gulf of Aden) and on artificial wetlands sustained by treated wastewater, highlighting the importance of conservation for biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. In 2006, Yemen designated key wetland reserves within Aden, including Al-Heswah Nature Reserve, the Aden Lagoons, Khor Bir Ahmed (Al-Farsi) Reserve, and Al-Mamlaḥ Saltworks Reserve.
Together they encompass intertidal flats, lagoons, marshes, seagrass habitats, and salt-production basins that support diverse flora and fauna, function as nurseries for fish and invertebrates, and offer natural protection against coastal flooding and sea-level rise.

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Wetland Natural Reserve, Aden was submitted in 2025 to the UNESCO Tentative List in Yemen.