KUWAIT, May 26 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti astronomer and historian Adel Al-Saadoun has observed some rare plants at Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve, some of which have died out in the Kuwaiti desert.
Al-Saadoun, in a statement to KUNA, said that annual and perennial plants are diverse inside the reserve which represents a resort for many plants, including some that died out in the State of Kuwait and no longer existing except in the reserve, thanks to the efforts of the reserve's officials, particularly the staff of the Voluntary Work Center.
He also pointed out that the extinction of plants in the Kuwaiti desert is mainly attributed to the organized grazing of cattle including sheeps, goats and camels as well as lack of rainwater in some seasons and camping during springtime, all of which leads to the perishing of many plants within the parameters of spring camps.
Further, some citizens root out the long-living plants such as Ramth and Arfaj in order to use them as a cooking fuel, Al-Saadoun added.
He also warned of the extinction of some plants like boxthorns which are currently existing in some areas south of Kuwait and are about to become extinct.
Concerning Al-Saadoun's documentation of some plants in Sabah Al-Ahmad reserve by photographing them, he said that he completed last week his research and documentation mission inside the reserve, where he photographed many plants that died out in the desert or are about to become extinct.
Al-Saadoun went on to say that his gallery of photos represents some rare plants that are not currently existing in the territories in the State of Kuwait as he conducted an overall survey of the lands of Kuwait during the months of February, March, April and May and did not find such plants in the reserve including a certain kind of acacia along with the local names of Lenda, Arti, Jithjath, Khatmi and Qardi.
Consequently, he added that this proves that such plants have completely died out from the land of the State of Kuwait.
Finally, he said that there is a plain in the reserve where plants stretch all over the land and it is a depressed land called, Faidah, due to the gathering of water in it from highlands in what leads to the growth of a variety of plants and makes its soil suitable to this purpose. - Kuna