Uruq Bani Ma'arid (Arabic: عروق بني معارض) is a protected area in southern Saudi Arabia. It is located on the western edge of the Rub' al Khali, which is the largest sandy desert in the world. The protected area has three parts: a special area for nature, a zone where limited grazing is allowed, and a hunting area.
This area was once home to the Arabian oryx, which disappeared from the wild. The reserve was chosen to help bring back oryx that were raised in a breeding program in captivity. It was also selected as a good place to reintroduce herds of Arabian sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica), mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), and ostrich (Struthio camelus). These animals used to live in the area in the past.
Geography
The protected area covers a region from a latitude of 19°30'N and longitude of 45°30'E to a latitude of 19°10'N and longitude of 45°15'E. Its total area is 12,658 km² (4,887 mi²). The area includes a broken limestone plateau beneath long, narrow dunes, parts of the Tuwaiq Escarpment, dry riverbeds called wadis, and gravel plains. Red sand dunes run parallel to each other and can reach heights of up to 150 m (492 ft). These dunes are separated by narrow areas with sand or gravel. The climate is hot and dry, with very little rainfall averaging about 30 mm (1.2 in) each year. Heavy rains on the escarpment cause the wadis to fill with water, which then flows underground and is stored below the surface.
Flora and fauna
Uruq Bani Ma'arid has been named an Important Plant Area because it has more types of plants than other parts of the Empty Quarter. Many plants found here are only found in the Arabian Peninsula. The limestone escarpment has few plants, but the wadis, which are dry riverbeds, grow along the sides of the escarpment and support shrubs like Acacias, grasses, and legumes that live for many years. Some plants grow on the dunes, including Calligonum crinitum ssp. arabicum, sedges, and grasses that live for many years. Between the dunes, small plants like dwarf Haloxylon persicum, Moringa peregrina, and Commiphora myrrha grow. Few plants that live for one year grow here, but after rain, new growth appears on the plants that live for many years. Scientists have recorded 106 plant species in the reserve.
From 1995 to 2013, 149 Arabian oryx were released into the reserve. By 2013, about 500 oryx lived there. The reserve is not fenced, so this is the only wild population of Arabian oryx. Arabian sand gazelle and mountain gazelle have also been brought back to the reserve since 1995.
Other animals that live in the reserve include Rüppell's fox, sand cat, red fox, Cape hare, desert hedgehog, Cheesman's gerbil, lesser Egyptian jerboa, desert monitor, lizards, snakes, and feral dogs. Scientists have recorded 104 bird species in the reserve, but only about 16 birds live there all year. Houbara bustard may be seen here during migration, while lappet-faced vultures and short-toed snake eagles build nests here.
Inscription on UNESCO World Heritage List
On September 20, 2023, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia added the 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area' to the UNESCO World Heritage List as the first Natural World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia.