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SAND DUNE ENCROACHMENT IN TIHAMA (YEMEN) 
Mohammed Ellatifi 
General Directorate of Forestry and Rangelands 
Forestry Development Project 
P.O. Box 19443 
SANA'A, YEMEN 
ISPRS Commission VII / Working Group 6 
ABSTRACT 
Tihama plain is a strip of 300 km length and 30 km width along the Red Sea , West of Yemen. Sand 
dune encroachment is the principal problem which daily endangers human settlements, agricultural and 
range lands, as well as roads and other infrastructures in the areas. In 1992 a significant soil occupation 
type group map was produced in Tihama, using remote sensing technologies. It showed that within 10 
years sand dunes advanced from the west to the East invading 20% of land more. To mitigate this 
devastating problem, the forest department in Yemen (GDFR) is undertaking an important reforestation 
effort in Tihama, including sand dune fixation, windbreaks, sheltertelts, farm boundary tree planting, and 
woodlots. Meanwhile GDFR is training rural people to protect natural resources and plane more trees and 
shrubs to combat sand movement and improve their environment. 
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