Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature

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Mujib Nature Reserve, Jordan

The Royal Society for The Conservation of Nature ( RSCN ; Arabic الجمعية الملكية لحماية الطبيعة, DMG al-ǧamʿiyya al-malakiyya li-ḥimāyat aṭ-ṭabīʿa ; in English "Royal Society for the Preservation of Nature") was founded in 1966 under the patronage of King Hussein bin Talal (1935–1999) and is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of nature in Jordan . The Jordanian government has given her the responsibility to protect and manage the kingdom's natural resources, its flora and fauna, and natural areas. This makes RSCN one of the few non-profit organizations in the Middle East to be awarded such a public service mandate.

mission

According to its slogan "helping nature ... helping people", RSCN is dedicated to the following main tasks :

  • Establishing nature reserves to protect Jordan’s natural environment and biodiversity
  • Breeding endangered animal species to protect them from extinction
  • Research to provide a scientific basis for promoting conservation efforts
  • Enforcement of laws to protect the environment and control illegal hunting
  • Increasing environmental awareness through educational programs, primarily in schools
  • Securing the socio-economic development of rural settlements by creating employment opportunities, e.g. B. through ecotourism
  • Promotion of the sustainable use of natural resources
  • Promote public participation in RSCN activities through memberships and campaigns

Establishment of nature reserves in Jordan

As one of the most important tasks of the RSCN, the organization has established eight nature reserves in Jordan:

reserve founding year
Shaumari Wildlife Nature Reserve 1975
Azraq Wetland Nature Reserve 1978
Mujib Biosphere Reserve 1987
Ajloun Forest Nature Reserve 1987
Dana Biosphere Reserve 1989
Dibeen Forest Nature Reserve 2004
Yarmouk Nature nature reserve 2010
Fifa Nature nature reserve 2011

The organization also participates in the administration of the Wadi Rum nature reserve . On behalf of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), RSCN draws up plans for the conservation and visitor regulation of the desert landscape, whose natural resources are increasingly being destroyed due to their growing role as a tourist attraction.

Wild Jordan

Areas of activity

Wild Jordan is a division of RSCN that is responsible for developing socio-economic projects in Jordan. In this context, special attention is paid to the development of ecotourism programs within and around the created nature reserves. Therefore, in 2013, for example, certified tour guides were trained in nature conservation for the first time. The village of Dana near the nature reserve of the same name was also reconstructed as part of the ecotourism programs for socio-economic purposes on behalf of RSCN. Wild Jordan also sells handcrafted items such as jewelry and organically grown food. The aim is to create jobs that help protect Jordanian flora and fauna and at the same time improve the living conditions of rural communities in Jordan.
In addition to income from Wild Jordan, the RSCN projects are financed by state and institutional funding, project partners, private individuals and with the help of the cooperation partners BirdLife International and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Feynan Ecolodge

Feynan Ecolodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan / © jcookfisher

The Feynan Ecolodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve is one of the guest houses that Wild Jordan provides in connection with the ecotourism programs. The solar-powered accommodation was constructed by the architect Ammar Khammash on behalf of RSCN in 2005 and has been managed by EcoHotels since 2009. It should offer local Bedouins a sustainable alternative to copper mining and let travelers experience a piece of Jordanian natural landscape. In 2009, National Geographic Adventure magazine named the guest house one of the top 50 eco-friendly accommodations in the world. In 2013, Feynan Ecolodge even made it into the top 25.

Current projects

  • Sustainable management and conservation of water resources in the Mujib nature reserve: The aim of the project is to save the natural water system in Wadi Mujib on a local level. At the same time, the model is intended to serve as a model for use in other areas of Jordan as well as in the Middle East. The project is financed with the help of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Wetlands International .
  • Sustainable land management in the Jordan Rift through small-scale, targeted interventions in the current land use as well as through the development of a network of nature reserves along the valley: the land bridge between Africa, Europe and Asia provided by the valley offers ecologically diverse habitats and is home to millions of birds of the aforementioned species every year Continents. With its natural resources, including the Jordan , the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba , the valley comprises the most productive agricultural resources in Jordan and has therefore become a central point for both infrastructural and tourist development as well as conservation measures. The project is financed by the Global Environment Facility through the World Bank .
  • Regional training and education programs : The annual training programs work directly with a group of regional partner organizations and are based on the accumulated knowledge of the RSCN in the field of natural resource management and sustainable conservation measures. The ongoing project is financed by the Hanns Seidel Foundation .
  • Preservation of biodiversity through ecotourism in the Maschrek region : By promoting ecotourism, the project contributes to the preservation of areas in the Middle East and North Africa that are characterized by high biodiversity. For this purpose, RSCN developed two pilot projects at Al Jaboul Lake in northern Syria and the Bekaa plain in Lebanon. The project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
  • Pilot program for sustainable resource management in the Ajloun Forest region: Through the tourism offer of RSCN and Wild Jordan in the Ajloun Forest Nature Reserve, alternative options for deforestation can be developed that secure the livelihood of the residents around the reserve. In addition, the project aims to integrate such alternative options into the state's land use strategies in the long term. The project is financed by the European Commission through the Hanns Seidel Foundation .

literature

Naif A. Haddad, Sharaf A. Al-kheder, Leen A. Fakhoury (2013). Al Mujib Natural Reserve in Jordan: Towards an Assessment for Sustainable Ecotourism Management Plan Utilizing Spatial Documentation. Natural Resources and Conservation, 1, pp. 65-76.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c About RSCN ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  2. ↑ Shaumari Wildlife Reserve ( Memento of the original of April 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  3. ↑ Azraq Wetland Reserve ( Memento of the original from June 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  4. ↑ Mujib Biosphere Reserve ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  5. ↑ Ajloun Forest Reserve ( Memento of the original from July 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  6. ↑ Dana Biosphere Reserve ( Memento of the original from May 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  7. ↑ Dibeen Forest Reserve ( Memento of the original from June 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  8. ↑ Yarmouk Nature Reserve ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  9. ↑ Fifa Nature Reserve ( Memento of the original dated December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  10. ↑ wadirum.jo , last accessed on December 23, 2014
  11. ↑ a b About Wild Jordan ( Memento of the original from April 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  12. ↑ 'Kingdom's first certified nature guides poised to take eco-tourism to new height' ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , by Hana Namrouqa, The Jordan Times, April 17, 2013, accessed December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / jordantimes.com
  13. ↑ 'Restoration work on Dana village to be completed by September' ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , by Hana Namrouqa, The Jordan Times, June 16, 2013, accessed December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / jordantimes.com
  14. ↑ RSCN: Financiers and supporters ( Memento of the original from May 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rscn.org.jo
  15. ↑ EcoHotels.me , last accessed on December 23, 2014
  16. ↑ 'Feynan Eco-Lodge wins int'l accolade from National Geographic' ( Memento of the original dated December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , by Hana Namrouqa, The Jordan Times, May 29, 2013, accessed December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / jordantimes.com
  17. ↑ RSCN: Current Projects ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last accessed on December 23, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / rscn.org.jo