Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, Oman (delisted 2007)

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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.