4 September 2012: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) has announced the achievements of a project managed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which built on traditional management practices in Socotra Island, Yemen, to enhance dry season water availability for local communities and wildlife. Socotra Island is a World Heritage Site and the largest dry island in the region. Water management and conservation is a key concern for humans and animals during the dry season.

The GEF SGP grant of US$49,669, as well as cash and in-kind contributions from the communities of US$95,264, was used to construct traditional rain-water harvesting cisterns, which are filled during the rainy season to be used during the dry seasons.

The project also included training for women in water management and sanitation, and community training to enable construction of additional cisterns. It also generated communal understandings of the importance of conservation and sustainable use of natural and biological resources, and the necessity of adapting to the impacts of climate change. [GEF Press Release]