Planted forests
Description of plantation resources
Introduction
The State of Bahrain is located in the middle of the Gulf of Arabia. It is located 25 kilometres from the eastern coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is an archipelago of 36 islands. Bahrain Island is the largest one with an area of 706 km2. The State of Bahrain is characterized by high relative humidity and high temperature in summer. The annual rainfall is low and averages bout 72 mm. The annual rate of evaporation is 2600 mm.
Forest plantation areas on the Island of Bahrain can be grouped as follows:
1. Coastal areas: These include the north-eastern and western parts of the island. The most commonly planted tree species in these areas are Avecenia spp., Phoenix dactylifera, Zizyphus spina-christi and Tamarix spp.
2. Sub-desert areas: The tree species commonly planted in these areas are Phoenix dactylifera, Zizyphus spina-christi, Acacia arabica, A. ehrenbergiana and A. tortilis
3. Desert areas: The commonly planted tree species are acacias and Lycium spp.
Development of forest plantations
Forest plantations began in the State of Bahrain with the establishment of the Al-Arin protected area in 1976 to protect planted trees and shrubs as well as birds and wildlife in this area. In the beginning some indigenous tree species and shrubs were used such as Zizyphus spina-christi and Prosopis juliflora in addition to Euclyptus camaldulensis, an introduced tree. In the last two decades other forest tree species were tested and proved to be adapted to the prevailing conditions including Prosopis spp., Azadirachta indica, Acacia spp., Pithcellobium dulce, Casuarina equisetifolia, Tamarix spp. and Lycium spp. Afforestation activities are carried out by the Ministry of Works and Agriculture, the Ministry of Housing, Municipalities and Environment as well as by the Royal Prince Bureau. By 1998, the afforested area in the State of Bahrain was 341 ha distributed as follows: Al-Arin protected area 40 ha, south of Al-Arin 100 ha, Wasmia 74 ha, Sakhir 44 ha, Sakhir highway 13 ha, Moasker highway 11 ha, Horat Aali 50 ha and Sheikh Salman highway 9 ha.
Species composition
Besides the indigenous species Prosopis juliflora, Zizyphus spinachristi, and Phoenix dactylifera, species trials were carried out to introduce new forest tree species that can grow satisfactorily under the harsh conditions of the State of Bahrain. Prosopis chilensis, Prosopis spicgera, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Azadirachta indica, Acacia arabica, A. tortilis, A. ehrenbergiana, Pithcellobium dulce, Casuarina equisetifolia, Tamarix spp. and Lycium spp. proved to be adapted and are used in afforestation programs.
Trend
The afforestation plan aims to expand the planted area in the Wasmia, Sakhir and the south of Al-Arin regions by 250 ha. The planting program in these areas will start in the year 2002. It is expected that afforstation programs will be larger in future when treated sewage water can be provided to irrigate areas that will be planted.
Issues
Irrigation of agricultural crops and forest plantations depend mainly on ground water. The annual discharge of ground water is estimated to be 216 million m3, while the annual recharge does not exceed 100 million m3. As a result, the salinity has increased to 3 000 to 15 000 ppm. Recently, the State of Bahrain is planning to use sewage water in the irrigation of agricultural crops and forest plantations. Currently the annual amount of treated sewage water is 15 million m3. A sewage treatment plant is being constructed to increase the annual amount of treated sewage water to 73 million m3 to compensate for the over-exploitation of the ground water.
The development and expansion of afforestation activities in the State of Bahrain is facing the following constraints:
1. The scarcity of water in the areas that need afforestation, particularly in the southern part of the country.
2. The absence of a specific authority responsible for planting and management of forest plantations.
3. Inadequate legislation encouraging and protecting planted areas.
References
Al-Hindy, M. Ali & Ahmed, J. Habib. 2000. Forest plantations in the State of Bahrain. National report prepared for FRA 2000.