Sustainable Development and Nature Conservation in Jordan - Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes - page 295

1990s focused on the surrounding people's needs, working with them to determine
how they were affected by the protected area and how they in turn were influencing
the protected area. The RSCN developed Jordan's first protected area management
plan for the Wadi Dana which outlined its objectives, strategies, and priorities for
the area, all directed toward attempting to find a balance between protecting Dana's
natural attributes and meeting the needs of the local population. Over a hundred
specific management options were prescribed, many based on concepts of zoning in
terms of defining certain areas where particular activities either could or could not
occur (e.g., a core conservation zone, a grazing zone, and a recreation or tourist zone;
see chapter 11 for another example of this strategy in Mexico).
Local people were at the forefront of the Dana project from the very beginning
(Johnson 1997, 2007). The previous state of the village was dreadful, with years of
deprivation and poverty having forced most of the residents to abandon the village.
The Friends of Dana saw the great potential of the site in terms of its beauty, history,
culture, and unique location. They worked with the RSCN to raise money to restore
the crumbling fabric of the village and to bring new life and hope to the residents by
renovating houses, building a new mosque, paving the main road, and, as in other
examples of regenerating rural Arab villages (e.g., Wessels and Hoogeveen 2007),
renovating the water management system including constructing a new spring head
(Anonymous 1997; and see Figure 16.1). And in the true spirit of the present book
on “restorative redevelopment” and as a lesson to the situation in southern Iraq, the
project became an immediate success: “As a result of these improvements, village
life is being restored and people are returning” (Anonymous 1997).
Nature reserves around the world often flourish at the expense of local people.
Because of this, alternative means of livelihood had to be created for Wadi Dana once
land use restrictions were implemented (Salti 1997). In particular, the Dana area is
heavily grazed by over ten thousand goats, which has led to vegetation removal and,
in consequence, severe erosion (Johnson 1997; Irani 2004). Other threats included
limestone quarrying and the potential reopening of an ancient copper mine. The
challenge, then, became how to protect the area without damaging the livelihood of
the people. The RSCN approached this challenge by developing a socioeconomic
model with respect to nature conservation wherein they tried to identify and estab-
lish new businesses that could be linked with nature conservation and the livelihood
of people and their culture. For example, the RSCN worked in the production of
fruits grown on the formerly neglected trees and sold the nicely packed health foods
to people in Amman and other cities (Figure 16.2). These products have higher value
and are marketed as being linked with conservation. One such product is frames
made from goat leather (Figure 16.3; a motto in the RSCN office is “If you can't beat
them, eat them” in terms of dealing with removing as many goats as possible; Irani
2004). Other products include metal jewelry (brooches, earrings, necklaces, and so
on) which are based on archaeological themes or inspired by nature, and also deco-
rated ostrich eggs (Figure 16.4). A further product is packaging of medicinal herbs,
T-shirts, as well as reused pop-drink cans that, in a move similar to production of the
book Wetlands of Mass Destruction: Ancient Presage for Contemporary Ecocide
in Southern Iraq (France 2007), highlight ancient inscriptions that are over three
thousand years old.