Distribution, status, and proposals for the conservation of mountain gazelle Gazella gazella cora in south-west Saudi Arabia

Two reciprocally monophyletic mtDNA lineages elucidate the taxonomic status of Mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella)

“…Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), Mallon & Kingswood, 2001;Spalton et al, 2002], the number of Mountain gazelles has drastically declined during the past 50 years. Extensive hunting, rural development and population fragmentation are most frequently cited as the principal causes of decline Magin & Greth, 1994;Mallon & Kingswood, 2001).…”

Can landscape use be among the factors that potentially make some ungulates species more difficult to conserve?

“…The visually obvious longer and slenderer legs of mountain gazelles probably enhance its strategy of outrunning predators because leg length is often associated with sprint speed and use of open habitats (Vanhooydonck and Van Damme, 2003;Namgail et al, 2004). Mountain gazelles sprinting escape tactic is ineffective against being hunted from vehicles because wide valleys are accessible to off-road vehicles due to their flat and open terrain (Magin and Greth, 1994). Poachers can also use off road vehicles to be efficient in their search for the presence of mountain gazelles by visiting landmark trees for middens during the day when park personal are less likely to be suspicious of people visiting the reserve .…”

“…I hypothesize that mountain gazelle's use of more accessible landscapes makes the species potentially more vulnerable to vehicular hunting and anthropogenic disturbances and are among the reasons why mountain gazelles have historically been more difficult to conserve than Nubian ibex in the Ibex Reserve. Habitat accessibility and vulnerability to hunting and anthropogenic disturbances may also apply to other endangered ungulate species that occur in open deserts, which have experienced drastic population declines and local extinctions (Ryder, 1987;Saleh, 1987;Newby, 1990;Thoules et al, 1991;Loggers et al, 1992;Magin and Greth, 1994;Hammond et al, 2001). Ibex and other species such as the Barbary sheep, Ammotragus lervia, probably have persisted in many of the same areas, despite population declines, because of their use of more rugged, inaccessible terrain (Loggers et al, 1992;Habibi, 1994;Wacher et al, 2002).…”

“…A species that occurs in accessible habitats are more likely to be negatively impacted by anthropogenic disturbances than species occurring in more remote areas (Watson et al, 1996). For example, paved roads contribute to higher hunting efficiency of ungulates because hunting areas are more accessible by vehicles, hunters have less distance to walk into habitats where prey are found, and it is often easier to hunt from vehicles vs. on foot (Magin and Greth, 1994;Michelmore et al, 1994;Wilkie et al, 2000;Hayes et al, 2002;McCorquodale et al, 2003;Gavashelishvili, 2004;Stedman et al, 2004). Although less conspicuous, species occurring in landscapes accessible to off road vehicles also experience disturbance associated with human activity and hunting mortality (Magin and Greth, 1994;Watson et al, 1996;Wilkie et al, 2000;Janis and Clark, 2002).…”

Camera trapping confirms the persistence of Arabian Gazelles,Gazella arabica, in the Asir Mountains, Saudi Arabia

“…Most records of natural G. arabica populations in Saudi Arabia originate from the western part of the country, i.e. the Asir, Sarawat and Hejaz Mountains (MAGIN 1993, 1996, AL-HAZMI & GHANDOUR 1992, MAGIN & GRETH 1994. Four G. arabica populations are known from the northern Hejaz Mountains, extending from Medina up towards the Gulf of Aqaba, namely Jibal Kallab, Harrat Uwayrid, Ras Suwaihil and Jibal Dakhkhan (THOULESS et al 1991, 1997, WACHER 2001, WACHER & ALAGEEL 1999, WACHER & STRAUSS 2000.…”