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The
Ecology and Conservation of the Flora of Bahrain
Studies
on the flora of Bahrain have revealed the presence of
307 species of vascular plants. These species belong
to 198 genera and 54 families. Most of the species belong
to the Gramineae and the Compositae families. A total
of 15 phytogeographical elements were recorded. The
largest was the Saharo-Arabian element represented by
116 species (38%) and the smallest was the Euro-Siberian
element represented by 2 species (0.65%). The therophytes
formed the highest percentage of the flora (48%).
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number of communities have been identified in the various
habitats of Bahrain Island. The differences in the main
habitats play an important role in the distribution and
composition of plant communities. About 97 species were
recorded from the saline habitats. The rest of the species
were recovered from the sand dunes, the coastal plains,
the stone pavements, the bedrock, the cultivated areas
and others. Potential use of selected plants in medicine,
in the fixation of sand dunes and in the conservation
of threatened plant communities are discussed.
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Topography:
The main island (Bahrain Island) may be divided into
5 physiographic zones
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The Central Plateau and Jabals: A plateau area
with upstanding residual hills, which developed
almost entirely on resistant rocks which occur in
the centre of the island, forming the core of the
denuded dome. The general surface level ranges between
40-60 m and rises to a maximum elevation of 122.4
m at Jabal ad Dukhan.
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The Interior Basin: An asymmetrical ring of
lowland surrounds the Central Plateau, ranging in
width from 2 km in the west to a maximum of 8 km
in the south.
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The Multiple Escarpments: Surrounding and overlooking
the interior Basin is a virtually continuous belt
of low multiple in-facing escarpments. The elevation
of the crest varies considerably. The elevation
ranges between 40-67 m
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The Main Backslope: Declining away from the
crest of the uppermost escarpment is an extensive,
gently inclined surface, usually less than 5%. The
gross form of the backslope area, being broad and
gently sloping in the north and south, reflects
the general asymmetrical shape of the main Bahrain
dome.
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The Coastal Lowland: The northern part of Bahrain
Island consists of subdued landforms with elevations
of less than 10 m above mean sea level
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