40 
We look forward to reviewing these two publications in due course 
and in the meantime plan to publish a detailed review of the Turkish 
Important Bird Areas inventory in the next edition of the OSME 
Bulletin. 
Saudi Arabia - Conservation Planning (Contributed by Tony Juniper) 
During March and April 1988 a team from the Ecology and Conservation 
Unit of University College London was engaged by the National 
Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development ( NCWCD) to 
demonstrate conservation management planning. 
NCWCD have recently undertaken a "conservation review" and 
short-listed around 30 sites of national or international 
importance. Fieldwork was undertaken in three sites and information 
collected upon which to base management plans. As well as producing 
finished plans it was important that NCWCD staff learn something 
about the format of management plans and the type of information 
required for their compilation. 
Three areas in the south-west of the Kingdom were visited. The 
Raydah escarpment in the Asir mountains, a section of the Wadi Jizan 
system between the coastal plain and the Asir and the Farasan 
Islands in the southern portion of the Red Sea. Each site is 
important for different reasons but they share some or all of the 
following features. There are unique assemblages of animals and 
j)lants, an example is the wildlife of the Raydah Juniper forests. 
Here there is a high level of endemisra, a relict Palearctic 
community and a nationally important selection of Afrotropical 
species. This is reflected in the bird community. Endemic species 
include Yemen Thrush Turdus menachensis and Yemen Linnet Cardeulis 
yemenensis , relicts include the Asir Magpie Pica pica asirensis and 
among the Afrotropical birds are Dusky Turtle Dove Streptopelia 
lugens and Brown Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus umbrovirens . 
Internationally important populations of certain species occur, this 
is true of certain marine species which occur around the Farasan 
Islands such as Dugong Dugong dugong and Green Turtle Chelonia 
my das . All sites possess nationally important numbers of at least a 
few species. The waterfowl which visit the wetlands of the Wadi 
Jizan area constitute such a group of species. 
Although NCWCD is a very young organisation and lacks many of the 
strengths conservationists have elsewhere (such as well developed 
voluntary sector) it has substantial resources and a growing sense 
of awareness towards the requirements for the conservation of the 
native flora and fauna. The Action Plan for Nature Conservation 
(NCWCD 1987) describes the intended conservation effort until 1990. 
It is detailed and comprehensive and includes plans for the 
establishment of a national biological records centre, a natural 
history museum, the initiation of conservation education and the 
recommendation that Saudi -Arabia become inv-'olved with international 
conservation initiatives such as Ramsar. Many of the aims of 
conservation overlap wit'a the interests of other Government 
