In the secluded chicken, an island of Yemeni lost in the waters of the Indian Ocean, grow some of the most bizarre and magnificent trees on Earth called “Dracaena Cinnabari”. With their impressive, umbrella crown and the crimson resin flowing from their trunk, they seem to have come out of the pages of a fairy tale.

These trees are not just a natural miracle. They are the backbone of the only ecosystem on the island. Their umbrellas “capture” the fog and rain water, which are channeled to dry soil and feed the rest of the plants. It is, in other words, the source of life for the nature of the shock.

However, this living treasure is threatened. The increasingly violent cyclones – the result of climate change – have uprooted thousands of trees. At the same time, free kids, a species that is not local, devour young saplings before they can grow. Most forests are now “aging”, with no new life to replace them.

The local community is trying to resist. Sena Keibani and her family maintain a nursery where young trees are cultivated, protected behind rough wood and wire fences. It is a hope in the dark. But without infrastructure and state support, these efforts are not enough. Conflicts in Yemen, the Civil War and the lack of resources make it difficult to maintain these guarded areas.

Tree

In addition to an ecological treasure, trees are also a basic support for the local economy. Each year, about 5,000 tourists visit the chocolate, magnetized by its unreal landscapes. But if the trees are lost, the future of the island is also in danger.

“When you lose these trees, you don’t just lose one kind. You lose water, ground, all the life resting on them“Says the biologist Kay Van Dam. “We have the opportunity to protect something unique in the world. If we do not, we will only blame us“

Chocotra is a magical world, but fragile. And if lost, there will be no second chance.