http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2013/12/20/feature-02Yemen's Socotra granted province status2013-12-20By Faisal Darem in Sanaa
Yemen's Socotra islands are famous for their unique vegetation, withbotanists ranking the flora of Socotra among the 10 most endangeredisland flora in the world. [Khaled Fazaa/AFP]
Yemen declared its Socotra archipelago on the Indian Ocean an independent province on Wednesday (December 18th).
RELATED ARTICLESThe Yemeni parliament and president approved the law, which confirmsthe new status of Socotra, which was previously part of Hadramautprovince.
"The conversion of Socotra into an independent province came becauseit has a natural make-up that is unique in the world, and also so it canbe given more attention in terms of projects and infrastructure, andgranted independence in its decision-making," said Issa Abdullahal-Qaisi, deputy governor of Hadramaut province for Socotra affairs.
The inhabitants of Socotra have long asked that the islands bedesignated an independent province as they lie approximately 500kilometres from Hadramaut and encompass 3,600 square kilometres, "anarea larger than that of some countries", he told Al-Shorfa.
"Thus it was necessary to convert it and the surrounding islands intoa province in order to focus development efforts towards it on abroader scale, as for any other province," al-Qaisi said.
The law that established the province also provides for theimplementation of a variety of projects to develop Socotra whilepreserving its diverse
natural wealth, he said.
Yemen's parliament has directed the government to speed thecompletion of infrastructure and service projects in the new provinceand to provide equipment and resources to enable the local authoritiesto carry out their duties.
Before development work begins in Socotra, however, an environmental impact study must be conducted, parliament said.
"Socotra has all the elements of a province in terms of diversity ofresources," said Mehdi al-Abbasi of the Ministry of LocalAdministration.
"Implementing infrastructure projects must be expedited, especiallythose pertaining to the sewage system, treatment plants, roads andelectricity, and in such a way as to preserve the unique environmentaland natural diversity of the island," he said.
Investment projects should be established far from Socotra's naturereserves, al-Abbasi said, and local residents and their environment,culture and customs must be taken into account in order to achievedevelopment that is economically and culturally balanced.
A top tourist destination The political unrest in Yemen over the past few years hurt the economy in general and
tourism in particular, said Yahya al-Sakkab, director general of the eco-tourism department at the Ministry of Tourism.
"The island of Socotra was the exception, as tourists continued toflock to it for its environmental and natural diversity," he said.
It is therefore necessary to put in place infrastructure and tourismprojects to help it maintain its position as a top tourist site, whichwill benefit the province, its inhabitants and Yemen, he said.
The Ministry of Tourism is considering several such projects for theisland, including a diving centre that would offer training andintegrated services for divers, he said, noting that several experts areset to visit the island to help select a site for the centre.
The island is "one of the top tourist destinations in the world forits unique characteristics and coral reefs", al-Sakkab said.
Besides tourism, Socotra has other economic resources, including fish, meat and
honey, said Mustafa Nasr, head of Yemen's Studies and Economic Media Centre.
The decision to designate Socotra as a legally independent provinceis in its best interest and will lead to an increase in its budget, hetold Al-Shorfa.
"The local authority should work on accounting for all the essentialprojects it needs done so they can be included in the general budget,"Nasr said.
"The island is in dire need of infrastructure and services, as wellas the establishment of a number of government investment projects tohelp it attract additional private sector investment," he said.
UNESCO designated Socotra a
World Heritage Site in 2008.
