BOOK REVIEWS 7

T&AD Poyser, London 1996. ISBN 0 -85661-176-3, hardback, 460pp

the – in my opinion- slightly disappointing Birds of the Middle

East and North Africa by two of the same authors ( Porter and

Christensen) in addition to P A D Hollon and artist Ian Willis

(Poyser, London 1988, ISBN 0-85661-047-X) I wasn’t holding my

breath. Hence, I was not prepared for this new field guide. It

is simply one of the best bird guides to a specific region that

East only, from Turkey and Iran in the north to Yemen in the south,

including Socotra Island and Cyprus. Naturally, all of Arabia

is covered. It deals with all birds in this region, and I mean

all of them, even birds that have been recorded only once in the

region are included, a staggering 722 species in all. Species

is followed by the main body of the book which comprises 112 plates

by artists A Birch, J Gale, M Langman and B Small and detailed

species accounts. The plates are superb and wherever relevant,

illustrations show different races, sexes, age variations, with

many birds shown in flight. Curiously almost all birds face right

and fly to the right, but this is, of course, done to aid comparison

between similar species. It is nice to see, though, that some

woodpeckers can sometimes face left! Ample place is given to each

species although a few plates such as the ones with wagtails and

wheatear look a bit crowded, but they almost had to be with so

many races and variations depicted. Facing each plate is a breeding

map of the region’s breeding birds and quite comprehensives notes

on status and habitat are given here as well. The maps are quite

large and very clear for a field guide. My only regret at all

with this new guide is that wintering ranges and migratory routes

are not shown. This information can, however, be found in the

status notes, but a quick glance at a map is often more helpful

with the main identification characters shown in italics, and

notes on voice. Size is recorded in this section, but would have

been helpful next to the plates. However, as each species is assigned

a number, reference between the plates and the text is very quick.

With so may species dealt with in what is still a handy book,

not every aspect of each species could be covered. This is mainly

an identification guide. No information is given on habits, food

suggestions for further reading with a breakdown for each country,

a complete species list and comprehensive indices of English and

new additions to individual country lists may very well already

be covered by the book and the guide will not become outdated

so quickly. By comparisons between neighbouring countries, it

also suggests which new species one may reasonably expect in the

publishers and anyone involved with its publication are to be

congratulated. It is a must for any birdwatcher living or visiting

this region and anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern birds.

In fact, I think I will need two copies, one for the bookshelf

Published by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation

and Development (NCWCD), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Pro Entomologica,

c/0 Natural History Museum, Basle, Switzerland.

series of books providing detailed descriptions of the fauna of

Saudi Arabia includes papers on the Arabian arachnids, centipedes,

crustaceans, insects echinoderms, fishes, and birds. Another important

contribution to scientific information on the taxonomy, faunistics,

zoogeography and ecology of the region’s wildlife, this volume

is well- illustrated with numerous drawings, photographs and colour

plates and is, as usual, superbly edited and produced.

Environmental Research and Conservation Following the 1991 Gulf

War Oil Spill

for Wildlife Conservation and Development and Senckenbergische

Naturforschende Gesellschaft

ISBN 9960-614-03-4 (NCWCD, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

ISBN 3-929907-37-2 (SNG, Germany)

and the ensuing environmental crisis, the Arabian Gulf was one

of the lesser-known seas. However, all that has changed with more

scientific studies published in the intervening years than in

the entire period before the war. Regional research institutes

and environmental protection agencies initiated extensive research

programmes supported by international scientific missions. This

publication, for its part, presents the scientific results of

five years of continuous research by the international, multidiscplinary

team of scientists who were based in Jubail and who were working

together to create the first ever Marine Habitat and Wildlife

Sanctuary in the GCC region. Topics covered by the book include

background information on the Gulf War oil spill and creation

of the Jubail Marine Wildlife Sacntuary; hydracarbon chemistry,

microbiology and oil spill response; effects of the oil spill

on the coastal and marine environment; biological diversity, ecology

and conservation of key taxa; fisheries, socio-economics and education.

and the handsome volume is liberally illustrated with colour plates,

black and white drawings, as well as a clearly-present pull-out

map depicting the geo-ecological units of Al Jubail Marine Wildlife

scientific community as a whole as well as providing much useful

background information for decision-makers in the field of marine

conservation.

Swan Hill Press, 101 Longden Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3

9 EB.

in clear text and striking colour photographs the natural history

of the African continent. The seven major African habitats are

explored: from savanna, home to much of the continent’s game herds,

to dryland, including the vast Saharan desert; from forest, both

temperate and tropical to highland, encompassing the famous Mountains

of the Moon; from Cape heathland which supports over 8580 species

of flowering plant; to the contintent’s great freshwater lakes

and river systems; and finally the coastal zone, including mangrove

stands and the unsurpassed coral reefs of the Red Sea. Descriptions

of the flora and fauna of these diverse habitats accompany each

chapter, however, because of the huge scope of the book, much

detail is omitted. Although primarily celebrating the continents

wondrous natural beauty, the Stuarts also discuss the fragility

of the African habitats and discuss the effectiveness of conservation

overview of the African natural world.

Swan Hill Press, 101 Longden Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3

9 EB.

African Arabian Wildlife Research Centre, Chris and Tilde Stuart

are well-equipped to tackle the subject of African wildlife’s

fight for survival against the steady encroachment of Man. Recognizing

that wildlife consevation in Africa is at a critical stage, they

have set out to document the problems faced by the continent’s

endangered, vulnerable, rare and declining species. The authors

examine the plight of each animal group as a whole, as well as

discussing individual species within each group. Maps provide

a humbling record of past and present distribution whilst the

authors’ beautiful photographs celebrate African wildlife at its

best, underlining their plea to the human component of the animal

world to halt the habitat destruction and degradation which is

impacting hugely on the wildlife of this ‘fascinating, depressing,

beyond the pretty pictures to reach an understanding of the problems

facing the animal world and the commitment needed to tackle them.

Sponsored and published by the National Commission for Wildlife

Conservation and Development, Michael Jennings in number 13 (December

1996) of the Phoenix provides up to date information on Arabia’s

breeding birds, as well as summary reports of ABBA (Atlas of Breeding

Contents of vol 6.2 of the bi-lingual Emirates Natural History

Group Bulletin range from reports of excavation on Balghelam Island

and Sharjah to information on the red data list for birds of the

UAE and the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Project, as well as proving

This occasional newsletter from the ADIAS , P.O. Box 45553, Abu

Dhabi, UAE (No. 1, 17 November 1996) gives a run-down of the projects

proposed for the winter season, information on the fifth Late

Antiquity and Early Islam Workshop in which the pre-Islamic Nestorian

church and monastery found by the Project on Sir Bani Yas Island

was recognized by the conference as ‘a very major new discovery

that has brought Byzantine and early Islamic studies into a very

Published by the Environmental Protection Council in Yemen, together

with cooperation of OSME and BirdLife International, this little

book has been written by R.F.Porter and R.P.Martins based upon

considerable fieldwork carried out in Yemen. Colour illustrations

by M.Langman, and line drawings by R.A.Hume, provide clear descriptions

for the common birds seen in Yemen, in addition to all the endemics.

The booklet, published in Arabic and aimed at schools in Yemen,

will be an extremely useful tool in environmental education in

Volume 18(2) is an elegantly designed and produced edition of

OSME’s journal. Features include a review of Middle East Birding

and Conservation Organisations; an article about Ruppell’s weaver

in Yemen and one about the birds of Barr al-Hikman in Oman. The

more scientific section contains a number of papers on birds in

Jordan: one on raptors, one on the avifauna of Azraq, one on the

Alpine accentor, a discussion on whether lappet-faced vultures

once bred there, and first records of the Alpine accentor and

Issue number 8 of Shark News, the Newsletter of the IUCN Shark

Specialist Group, published in December 1996, contains articles

on CITES, news of the activities of the Shark Specialist Group,

a discussion on the Red List assessments for sharks and rays,

and an article regarding shark fishery management. A review article

on what has been happening to sawfish is a reminder of the extreme

pressures that many elasmobranchs suffer. Research worker Ed McManus

(email contact: [email protected]) is undertaking research

on Red Sea and Gulf of Aden sharks and rays and would be grateful

for any data on size, sex and species distribution. The editors

of Shark News are also seeking contacts in Arabia, both with individuals

and with research organisations. The address for contact is: Sarah

Fowler, The Nature Conservation Bureau Ltd., 36 Kingfisher Court,

Hambridge Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5SJ, UK. Fax (44) (0)