The conservation status of the threatened gazelles of Ar Rub’ al-Khālī, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Arabian gazelle (Gazella arabica) and Arabian sand gazelle (G. marica) are globally threatened. In ongoing restoration efforts within Saudi Arabia, 240 captive-bred sand gazelles and 73 Arabian gazelles were reintroduced to the 12,684 km² Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area in the western Ar Rub’ al-Khālī in the mid-late 1990s. Here, we assess the long-term conservation outcome and compare habitat use by both species. Initial post-release distribution was monitored by VHF radio-tracking. Their distribution and relative abundance were studied 20 years later in 2015–2016 using a large-scale camera-trap survey. Our results show Arabian gazelles established across the western side of the protected area, while sand gazelles were widely distributed across the central protected area, with marked seasonal movement into the interior in the cool season and back to the western margin in the hot season. The results confirm both species have retained their known habitat preferences after captive breeding and release. The study also shows that the Arabian gazelle and to a lesser extent sand gazelle undergo seasonal temporal niche switching of activity patterns, exhibiting nocturnal-crepuscular activity during the hot season and largely diurnal-crepuscular activity during the cool season.

Releasing groups of desert gazelles at multiple locations simultaneously, over a 2–3 year period into suitable and protected natural habitat is shown to result in established populations. A large-scale long duration camera-trap array provided effective information on relative abundance and distribution of these species persisting 20 years later in a complex habitat where conventional sampling techniques are difficult to implement.