By Alex
Socotra Island in Yemen, known as the “Jewel of the Arabian Sea” and hailed as the “Galápagos of the Middle East,” is home to unique flora found nowhere else on Earth. Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten risked conflict, kidnapping, and attacks to visit the island, with his sights set on one of its most extraordinary endemic species: the dragon’s blood tree.
Located east of the Horn of Africa, Socotra is incredibly isolated, with an estimated 37% of its plant species—about 700 varieties—found only on the island. Among them is the dragon’s blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari), which has a striking umbrella-like shape. Its red sap was believed by ancient people to be dragon’s blood, hence its name.
The 18-minute documentary above chronicles van Oosten’s journey to find the dragon’s blood trees. It was filmed by filmmaker Awi Rabelista using two Nikon Z6 cameras equipped with a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens and a Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G lens.
Van Oosten noted that Yemen has faced decades of political instability, with ongoing civil war, revolution, famine, and disease that have claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives. Over the years, transportation to and from the island—including by plane and boat—has been almost completely cut off. He tried various means to reach it but failed, until he finally seized a rare opportunity this time.
The dragon’s blood tree is currently listed as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The main threats include climate change (such as drought and monsoon damage), human activity (harvesting resin for medicine, cosmetics, and paint), and overgrazing (goats eating the tree’s seedlings). Van Oosten added that the challenge ahead is convincing local residents to keep their goats out of protected areas.
More of van Oosten’s work can be found on his personal website, Instagram, Facebook, and 500px page.
Source: PetaPixel