Abstract
The Arhab area in Yemen possesses a cultural and natural heritage that needs to be enhanced and protected. Dinosaur footprints represent the most important geological heritage features in the region and in the Arabian Peninsula. They are distributed within an area of 200 km2. The Arhab area possesses all the requirements to be a geopark; these include a large area, the occurrence of geological and paleontological features of regional and international importance, several archaeological sites, willingness of the local community to be involved in a geopark project, a society in need of socio-economic development, elements of scientific and cultural tourism, and ease of access to the region. Establishing a geopark in the region will safeguard and preserve the geological, paleontological and archaeological heritage and improve the quality of life for the local communities. The local Government of Yemen, the local council of Arhab area, and international communities should work together to promote, support and establish that project.
Résumé
La zone d’Arhab au Yémen possède un patrimoine culturel et naturel qui mérite d’être valorisé et protégé. Les traces des dinosaures représentent le plus important élément du patrimoine géologique dans la région et dans la péninsule arabique. Elles sont réparties sur une superficie de 200 km2. La zone d’Arhab possède toutes les conditions pour devenir un géoparc à savoir une grande superficie, la présence d’éléments géologiques et paléontologiques de signification régionale et internationale, plusieurs sites archéologiques, la volonté de la communauté locale de s’impliquer dans un projet de géoparc, une société dans le besoin d’un développement socio-économique, des éléments de tourisme scientifique et culturel et la facilité d’accès à la région. La création d’un géoparc dans la région permettra de sauvegarder et de préserver le patrimoine géologique, paléontologique et archéologique et d’améliorer la qualité de vie des populations locales. Le gouvernement local du Yémen, le conseil local de la zone Arhab et la communauté internationale devraient travailler ensemble pour promouvoir, soutenir et mettre en place ce projet.
ملخص
تمتلك منطقة أرحب باليمن تراثا ثقافيا وطبيعيا يستحق أن يحظى بالتقييم والحماية. وتُمَثِّلُ آثار الديناصورات، موزعة على مساحة تقدر بـ 200 كم2، أهم عنصرللتراث الجيولوجي بالمنطقة وبشبه الجزيرة العربية.تتميز منطقة أرحب باليمن بجميع المتطلبات التي تؤهلها لتصبحمنتزها جيولوجيا، كالمساحة الشاسعة، ووجود العناصر الجيولوجية والحفرية ذات الأهمية الإقليمية والدولية، والعديد من المواقع الأثرية، وإرادة المجتمع المحلي في الانخراط في مشروع خلق المنتزه الجيولوجي، ومجتمع في حاجة إلى تنمية مجتمعية اقتصادية، وعناصر السياحة العلمية والثقافية وسهولة الوصول إلى المنطقة. إنإنشاء منتزها جيولوجيا بالمنطقة من شأنه حماية التراث الجيولوجي والإحاثي والأثري والمحافظة عليهم، وتحسين مستوى عيش المجتمعات المحلية.يجب على الحكومة اليمنية والمجلس المحلي لمنطقة أرحب والمجتمع الدولي العمل معا لتعزيز ودعم وتنفيذ هذا المشروع.
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Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to Drs. Anne Schulp (Natural Museum, Maastricht “Netherlands”), Daniel Marty (Editor, Swiss Journal of Geosciences) for kindly providing with published materials; Christian Meister from Editorial Board, Revue de Paleobiology for constructive comments to improve the manuscript. We are particularly grateful to Dr. Ismail Al-Ganad, the former chairman of YGS and his colleagues for their support. Many thanks for local people in Arhab area who have provided information on trackways locations. Our gratitude goes to anonymous reviewers for their critical revision of the manuscript. Authors thank the reviewers for their comments and appreciate their efforts to improve the paper.
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Al-Wosabi, M., Al-Aydrus, A.A. (2015). Dinosaur Footprint Sites in Arhab Area: An Aspiring Geopark in Yemen. In: Errami, E., Brocx, M., Semeniuk, V. (eds) From Geoheritage to Geoparks. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10708-0_12
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