TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

THE BEMA SYSTEM IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA 323
Tail are in this category, and grazing is restricted to cattle and donkeys.
There is, however, no restriction on hay cutting after grass
matures.
• The reserve is kept for beekeeping. The number of these ah·
mia is limited, and grazing restrictions are relaxed after the flowering
season.
• The reserve aims to protect forest trees such as juniper, acacia,
and ghada (HalO2:lIlon perBicum). These ahmia are usually the
common property of a village or a tribe. Cutting of trees is prohibited
except in cases of dire emergency or need, such as rebuilding a
house destroyed by a calamity, or for building a mosque or school.
Sometimes the wood is sold to raise funds for the benefit of the village
or tribe.
Some ahmia are reserved for a particular tribe or for one or more
villages. The tribal or village head manages the use of such reserves.
However, comparatively smaller units are kept close to terraces or
cultivated wadi beds for the use of local residents.
RIGHTS OF OWNERSHIP OR USE
Rights of ownership or use are determined as follows:
• Those who possess documentary evidence of hereditary ownership
of rights of use; or
• Those without documentary evidence, but who maintain control
of ahmia because of long-term possession and use.
Such rights are maintained through the local tradition, ourf.
Trespassers are penalized by chiefs of tribes or villages. A person
committing an offense for the first time usually pays a fine of a sheep
or its equivalent. The fine, in certain cases, contributes to the welfare
of the tribe or community, instead of being paid to the owner of the
hema. Some difficulty is experienced in Saudi Arabia in protecting
the hema because many people misunderstand the 1953 decree as
allowing free grazing.
During a drought year, when fodder is scarce, a calamity-stricken
tribe may request permission to graze animals on the hema. The
owner of the hema generally permits grazing, but places a limit on
the number of animals and specifies the period of grazing. This
restriction is a protection against overgrazing.