Upside Down by Marsel van Oosten

Upside Down by Marsel van Oosten

⁣Of all the images that I’ve shot on Socotra, this one is probably the best example of the remarkable anatomy of the dragon blood tree. When you stand close to one and lookup is when you can really appreciate the dense canopy and the intricate structure of the branches. To me those branches actually look like the roots of the tree – it is as if someone has pulled the tree from the ground and put it back upside down 🙂⁣
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⁣A fully grown tree of this size is estimated to be around 600-700 years old, which is also close to their maximum age.⁣
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⁣The dragon blood trees on Socotra face several serious threats.⁣
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⁣Climate change has resulted in much drier air and fewer days with fog and mist. Socotra is slowly drying out, but the trees need this moisture to survive.⁣
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⁣Another threat is local farmers. More and more farmers on the island have goats that they let graze all over the island. Goats love the young dragon blood seedlings and eat most of them – the result is that there are no new dragon blood trees.⁣
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⁣This is particularly problematic because climate change has led to more typhoons. Over the past couple of years, Socotra has been hit by several severe storms that have wiped out a considerable amount of dragon blood trees.⁣
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⁣The locals drill holes in the trees to extract the crimson red resin that they use as medicine, paint, varnish, and makeup. Once a tree has many holes it has lost its ability to withstand strong winds. Also, insects can enter the tree through these holes and further weaken the tree from the inside.⁣
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⁣All in all the future of the dragon blood looks grim, which is one of the reasons I wanted to visit the island sooner rather than later.⁣
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⁣Socotra is a Unesco World Heritage Site, so some effort is taken to protect the vulnerable vegetation, but I’m afraid that it’s not enough. What is needed is a mentality change, trying to make the population aware of the precious fauna on their island, make them feel proud of what they have, and, ultimately, make them want to protect their natural heritage.⁣ Awi Rabelista made a short documentary about my journey to Socotra and my quest for the dragon blood tree – you can watch it here: www.squiver.com/socotra Marsel | squiver.com

Marsel van Oosten: Photos