Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
16 Sustainable
Developmentand
NatureConservation
inJordan *
Jordan, although a country generally poor in natural resources, is actively work-
ing toward conserving its natural biodiversity, a task made difficult by its small
economy.This chapter reviews some environmental issues in Jordan, describes
the role of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) organiza-
tion, and focuses on the business approach to nature conservation and protected
areas management particularly in relation to the Dana Reserve, demonstrating that
protected areas can be important mechanisms for the sustainable development of
indigenous human populations (Anonymous 1997). As Johnson (1997) summa-
rized, “The Dana project revolutionalised the approach to conservation in Jordan
and, in so doing, has become one of the most significant and acclaimed conserva-
tion initiatives ever undertaken in the Middle East.” Specifically, it is this suc-
cessful conjoining of ecology and economy that offers a realistic model that could
be adapted to the development of future eco-tourism programs in the eventually
restored marshes of southern Iraq.
Like Iraq, Jordan has an ancient culture, an extensive archaeological heritage,
and the presence of a rich and diverse array of native species. In terms of biodiver-
sity, Jordan, given its location at the juncture of Asia, Africa, and Europe, is vitally
important as part of the major flyway for migrating birds between Europe and Africa
along the northern Rift Valley. Interestingly, Jordan has only 1 percent of the world's
plant species but contains almost 10 percent of all the medicinal plants that have
been identified.
* Adapted by Robert L. France from Irani, K. 2004. The nature conservation programme in Jordan:
Helping nature help people. Paper presented at the Mesopotamian Marshes and Modern Development:
Practical Approaches for Sustaining Ecological and Cultural Landscapes conference, Cambridge,
MA, October.
305
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search