In arid regions across northern Africa, Asia and Arabia, ancient pastoralists constructed small-scale stone monuments of varying form, construction, placement, age, and function. Our multivariate analysis of 371 archaeological monuments in the arid Dhofar region of Oman identifies environmental and cultural factors that influenced variable placement and construction across a 7000-year history.

The Critically Endangered Arabian leopard was believed to be absent from the Nejd region in Dhofar Governorate, Oman. However, during 2014-2021, our camera traps documented at least eight individual leopards, demonstrating the species is resident and breeding in the region. This finding extends the Arabian leopard’s known range in Oman by c. 40 km northwards. We advocate the designation of central and western areas of the Nejd as a National Nature Reserve, to protect critical habitat for the Arabian leopard and for other species in this region.

The Dhofar Centre for Wildlife Research is pioneering the use of advanced methods of habitat suitability mapping for the Arabian Leopard across Arabia. Leveraging an Ensemble Species Distribution Modelling technique, we hope to guide ecological feasibility assessments and decisions for the restoration of Arabian leopard populations in Arabia.

In this study we interviewed pastoralists to examine the prevailing drivers of pastoralism and how they are changing in the Dhofar Mountains of Oman. Our study reveals how pastoral values, passed down within households, motivate pastoralists in the face of high husbandry costs, modernization and social change.

This research describes patterns of variation in the species composition of the Terminalia forest in Dhofar, Oman, and examines causal environmental factors. Six new variants of the Terminalia forest are described. Distinct variants of the Terminalia forest result from spatial variability in environmental conditions associated with the complex topography, monsoon fog distributions, and anthropogenic disturbance. The results of this study could assist practitioners to rapidly identify and prioritise these variants for conservation.

We report here the first record of twin caracal kittens in Saudi Arabia. A series of camera-trap photographs taken on 6 August 2023 show a female caracal with her twin kittens on the southern escarpment in Al Namas area in the Asir region. We estimate the kittens were born in February or March 2023.