Gazella arabica | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Taxa
Gazella arabica | (Lichtenstein, 1827)
Publication
UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
The taxonomy of genus Gazella is complex and several different arrangements have been proposed, but several issues remain unresolved. Gazella arabica was originally described from a single specimen: a skin and a skull obtained on the Farasan Islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia (or at least labelled as such). This became something of a mystery taxon and is different from the gazelles currently found there. Bärman et al. (2012) extracted DNA from the type specimen and showed that this was not a single specimen, assigning the skin to G. g. cora and the skull to gazelles of the northern type (G. g. gazella). Wronski et al. (2010) showed that Gazella gazella, in fact, consists of two monophyletic lineages, a northern clade (represented by samples from the Golan Heights) and a southern clade (based on samples from the Arabian Peninsula including the southern Arava Valley), based on mtDNA markers. Lerp et al. (2012) produced similar conclusions using nuclear markers and including samples from Central Israel. A morphological and genetic study of genus Gazella (Bärmann et al. 2013), and a genetic study of gazelles in the southern Levant (Hadas et al. 2015) all further support the existence of two monophyletic lineages: a northern clade (Gazella gazella), and a southern clade (provisionally named G. arabica on the basis that this name takes precedence over cora). This arrangement is now followed by the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group, with G. gazella replacing G. g. gazella in the former arrangement, and the name G. arabica provisionally retained for the southern clade, pending a ruling by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). So G. arabica, as understood here, comprises all the gazelles formerly considered under G. gazella, from the southern Negev through the Arabian Peninsula. Several subspecies have been named under G. gazella and have previously been evaluated for The IUCN Red List: acaciae; in the southern Arava Valley; cora in most of the Arabian Peninsula; farasani on the Farasan Islands; and muscatensis on the Batinah coast of Oman. Genetic research by scientists at King Khaled Wildlife Research Centre (Saudi Arabia) and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has confirmed the existence of some intraspecific variation, but there is no agreement on the validity of these named subspecies and they are not assessed separately for the time being, until a definitive analysis has been produced. All of the above are included in G. arabica here. The relationship between G. arabica (as here) and two other 'mystery' species, G. erlangeri and G. bilkis awaits confirmation.
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Formerly widespread in UAE but then its range became reduced. Around 15-25 years ago it was known from a few sites in the Hajar Mountains and large areas of desert between Jebel Ali and Sweihan (Hornby 1996, Aspinall et al. 2005). Sites in the mountains include Gulfa Wadi (Masfut), Wadi Jabsah (Fujairah), and on the ridges above Wadi Awsaq, on the southern edge of the Musandam (in the mid-1990s). At the same time, gazelles were present in neighbouring Oman in Wadi Qahfi (near the so-called Hatta Pools); in several wadis with permanent water along the mountain front south of the Hatta road; and in the remote high Musandam, east of Jebel Harim). Musandam records from the late 2000s in the area near the watershed between Wadi Bih and Wadi Khabb Shamsi are believed to represent releases (a pair of animals was found in the same locality at ca. 1,200 m in two successive years). Some of the remaining desert subpopulations have also been supplemented by releases from captive breeding programmes, in some cases, such as the Dubai Desert, since the mid-1990s. The Al Marmoom Conservation Area and adjacent areas of the Dubai Desert hold one of the largest current subpopulations. This area also holds Oryx leucoryx and Gazella marica. The area is provisioned by the Dubai Municipality and the Ruler's Office with alfafa and water, but oryx tend to dominate the feeding points while the gazelles range widely over the whole area. Mountain Gazelles have also been released in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, on Siniyyah Island, Arabian Oryx Protected Area and at other sites in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Based on the known habitat preferences, it is assumed that historically G. marica occupied desert areas and G. arabica the mountains and their fringes, but releases may now have obscured the original pattern. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, where it was once widely distributed. The largest remaining subpopulations are found in Oman and on the Farasan islands in Saudi Arabia. It has been reintroduced to the Uruq Bani Ma'arid, Mahazat as Sayd, and Ibex Reserves in Saudi Arabia. There is a small introduced subpopulation on Farur Island, Iran (IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2017a).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Arabian Gazelle occurs in deserts, semi-deserts, hills, mountains and coastal plains, often being associated with Acacia. It is generally seen singly or in small groups.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
The species was formerly widespread in the UAE but its range and population size are much reduced, however, conservation efforts, captive breeding and releases have resulted in the population stabilising and now increasing. As a conservative estimate, the population is estimated to contain over 1,500 mature individuals and the population is stable or increasing, so the species does not qualify for a threatened category or Near Threatened and is assessed as Least Concern. No regional adjustment is made to the Least Concern assessment.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Uncontrolled hunting is considered responsible for the decline of the species across its regional range. Overgrazing is also a major factor in many areas (IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2017a). The increasing construction of roads and fences has likely had a serious impact on the habitat through fragmentation and preventing access to the limited supplies of water. There may be a risk of infectious diseases such as PPR, brucellosis, through contact with domestic livestock.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
Over the last 15-25 years, captive breeding, releases and reinforcement, and the establishment of a network of protected areas has resulted in a large and stable population. Hornby (1996) listed Gazella gazella cora as Vulnerable and the backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is also Vulnerable under criteria C2a(i); D1.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Gazella arabica Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Bovidae Gazella