Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, Oman (delisted 2007)

Assembled from 9 blocks · 2 evidence · 1 related

1. Story
2. A natural property on the Jiddat al-Harasis desert plateau of central Oman, inscribed in 1994 for a landscape supporting the first successful reintroduction of the Arabian oryx to the wild. In 2007 Oman reduced the protected area by about 90 per cent to open the ground for hydrocarbon prospecting. The World Heritage Committee found that this destroyed the property's Outstanding Universal Value and, at its 31st session in 2007, deleted it — the first deletion in the Convention's history and the only one to date of a natural property. The oryx population had fallen from some 450 animals in 1996 to about 65 by 2007, with only four breeding pairs, as prospecting infrastructure opened new access for poachers.
3. Knowledge
4. Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, Oman (delisted 2007)
5. Connections
6. Arabian Oryx Sanctuary deleted — the first site ever removed from the World Heritage List
7. Evidence
8. The World Heritage Committee deleted the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in 2007 because Oman reduced the size of the protected area by 90 per cent, in contravention of the Operational Guidelines, which the Committee held destroyed the Outstanding Universal Value for which the site was inscribed in 1994. It was the first deletion in the Convention's history.
9. The wild oryx population fell from about 450 animals in 1996 to roughly 65 by 2007, with only four breeding pairs remaining; infrastructure associated with hydrocarbon prospecting improved poachers' access to the sanctuary.