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World Champion
| Ghaf Family — Genus Al Khazna Abu Dhabi, Arabian Peninsula www.savetheghaftree.org
Circumference: ? inches ( feet)
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by Nissar Hoath, Staff Reporter
ABU DHABI, Arabia: Ghaf, an ancient native tree of the Arabian peninsula, is about to be designated the national tree of the United Arab Emirates. Also known as the tree of the dunes and the umbrella tree, ghaf is the king of desert and arid zones in the region and a lifeline for desert dwellers, providing shade, fuel, food and medicine for both man and animal.
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Bedouin treat the tree as a family member, giving it the respect it deserves as it is the only tree that can withstand the harsh climate and survive for hundreds of years with little water.
When the Emirates Wildlife Society and the World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) with the support of Al Fahim Group launched a campaign to designate the ghaf as the national tree, Bedouin gave it their full support.
Ahmad Humaid Al Mansouri, a young Bedouin, welcoming the initiative, said: "The campaign will receive full support from the people, particularly those still maintaining desert lives despite the modern era and high-tech lifestyle. The Ghaf tree has a special place among Bedouin. It is the main ingredient of their life as it provides shelter, wood fuel, medicine and food for both man and animal."
Climate Change Twisting out of the hot sand of the Arabian Peninsula is one of nature's toughest trees. Known for its coarse bark and green canopy that provides rare shade from the sweltering sun, the ghaf tree has been a steadfast survivor in brutal desert.
But climate change, groundwater overuse, excessive woodcutting and increased camel grazing are threatening the tree's existence, environmentalists say. The World Wildlife Fund and the Emirates Wildlife Society are launching a campaign to save the ghaf, hoping they can persuade the Persian Gulf country's government to declare it the national tree.
The ghaf, which also grows in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, is an essential part of the fragile desert ecosystem, the groups say. Its wood can be used for fuel, its fruit provides food and its flowers and bark are said to have medicinal qualities. It's also a haven for wildlife. Birds build their nests in the tree's large canopies, and desert eagle owls, brown-necked ravens, gazelles and hares use the ghaf for shelter, while gerbils burrow between its roots, said Rashmi de Roy of the WWF's Dubai office. The tree has long survived in the harsh desert—where temperatures soar to more than 122 degrees—and can cope with long droughts and poor soil. To extract groundwater stored deep below the surface, the tree's roots stretch as deep as 30 yards into the soil. But environmentalists say several factors are threatening the tree, including rising global temperatures that may be making the desert too hot for the ghaf. The tree and other sparse desert vegetation also are being overgrazed by the rising number of camels in the region, and a growing human population is pumping more water, causing groundwater to fall below the reach of the ghaf's roots, activists say. |
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According to him, the tree earned this special Bedouin respect through its ability to defy the odds and remain evergreen despite years without rain.
"Both the camel and the tree are special to us. Camels survive in the harsh desert with the support of the ghaf, providing food, shade and water through its leaves. An abundance of the tree in the middle of the desert is also a sign of water deep underground."
Al Mansouri, his family members and other Bedouin residents of Al Khazna on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Highway, spend much of their time camping under these trees in the desert. When on vacation, especially during pleasant weather, they leave their modern villas in Al Khazna and head for the nearby dunes to camp.
Al Mansouri said the tree's leaves are the best medicine for the treatment of chest congestion. He said: "Both the smoke generated by burning the leaves and the steam rising from the leaf paste in hot water are inhaled to clear the chest. You feel very good after this treatment."
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The tree, he added, is also a good medicine for camels and goats. The animals eat the leaves and fruit, called hareesh, and this keeps them healthy. According to them, the ghaf is a saviour in disguise, and a protector from the harsh summer heat.
"It is the natural air-conditioning system of the desert. It can be extremely hot in the desert, but under the tree it is different. You feel as if the tree is releasing cool air. We collect the dry fruit off the tree and spread it to make a bed on which to relax. The fruit works as a cooling system on the ground," said Mohammad Mubarak Al Kheili, another young Bedouin living in Al Khazna.
Al Kheili says if the camel is the ship of the desert, the ghaf is its sail. "Without the ghaf the camel cannot survive. In fact, the whole ecosystem evolves around the ghaf in the desert,," he said.
AAl Mansouri, also a resident of Al Khazna, said that when the tree's importance and its role in keeping the eco-system in balance were recognised, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan banned cutting it down. Al Khazna, an oasis that has become a modern settlement, is surrounded by huge sand dunes with ghaf trees everywhere. Some of them are more than 200 years old. Most are fenced for protection under the directives of Shaikh Zayed.
"Shaikh Zayed was the greatest protector of the tree. He always toured the desert and inspected the trees. Whenever he found a tree dying, he ordered immediate treatment and regular watering," he said.
Ali Hassan, an expatriate employee of the Ruler's private department in Al Khazna, recalled how Shaikh Zayed found an ancient ghaf tree dying and ordered its immediate protection.
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Tough facts:
* The Ghaf is popularly known as the Umbrella Tree
* Its scientific name is Prosopis cineraria, and belongs to the family that includes Acacia and Mimosa
* It is found in most parts of the UAE, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India
* This wild tree can survive for hundreds of years with little water
* It can withstand the harshest weather, with roots reaching up to 30 metres deep to underground water
* Its abundance in the desert is an indication of water
* An essential source of food and medication for indigenous people and wildlife, as well as a support for other plants and trees in the desert
The Earth Restoration and Reforestation Alliance — www.championtrees.org — updated 8/14/2003