Recently, specialists from Thomson Ecology travelled to Riyadh, to advise the Arriyadh Development Authority on the biodiversity in the Al Ha’ir Lakes, part of the Wadi Hanifah Restoration Project.
This award-winning development aims to restore the Wadi Hanifah to create a desert parkland alongside the river as it passes through Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Thomson Ecology specialists also assessed the water quality of the Wadi Hanifa in relation to its potential to support biological communities and ecosystems.
The BBC has reported a news story which reveals that researchers have been able to track the position of the local water table by using cave-wall graffiti in the Dahl Hith caves, as seen in YouTube videos. The position of the graffiti has indicated how the water levels have been rising. The increase in smart phone image footage has helped researchers, where before there may have been little data to use.
Through examination of almost 40 YouTube videos, the water levels have been shown to have risen by about 40cm a month over the past few years. This is believed to be due to the improvements made by the Wadi Hanifah Restoration Project.
