Biodiversity Sites in Hadramout – Wadi Hadramawt

Wadi Hadramawt is one of the largest valleys in the Arabian Peninsula, located in Hadhramaut Governorate in eastern Yemen. It is extending across an arid landscape from the Ramlat Al-Sabateen desert toward its outlet near the Arabian Sea.
The wadi system lies at elevations of about 600–700 m. The valley is closely associated with the Hadramawt Plateau, the most extensive sedimentary landscape in Yemen and southern Arabia, where numerous wadis drain southward via the Al-Masilah Basin, while some internal drainage trends north toward the Empty Quarter.
Key biodiversity zones include the eastern extension of Wadi Sweidf, the northern extension of Wadi Al-Dhahab, the southern extension of Wadi Al-Hazir, and the western extension of Wadi Jaima. These habitats support diverse wildlife, including gray wolf, striped hyena, mountain gazelle, red fox, Cape hare, rock hyrax, baboon, caracal, and the endangered Nubian ibex.
The area also hosts recorded bird species, amphibians such as the Dhofar toad and Arabian skittering frog, reptiles, freshwater fish, and invertebrates (including butterflies and dragonflies). Vegetation includes myrrh trees (Commiphora), acacias, Salvadora persica, Tamarix aphylla, grasses, and other desert-valley flora.
The landscape is further distinguished by notable geological formations and human settlements on the plateaus and within the wadis dating back to the Bronze Age.

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Biodiversity Sites in Hadramout – Wadi Hadramawt was submitted in 2025 to the UNESCO Tentative List in Yemen.