Eco-Jordan
You
have an opportunity to connect with all the
wonders of nature in Jordan by visiting the
nature reserves and protected areas. The Royal
Society for the Conservations of Nature (RSCN)
and the Royal Ecological Diving Society, are
leading organizations in their fields, working
to preserve the animal, plant, and natural beauty
of Jordan.
Incentive clients interested in assisting these
organisations may become members or make contributions
to them. The Jordan Tourism Board may assist
with these arrangements.
Carefully
orchestrated visits can be made to many of the
nature reserves.
The
Mujib Wildlife Reserve
It
is located near the east coast of the Dead Sea
in Wadi Mujib gorge, beginning at over 1,300
feet below sea level and climbing to almost
3,000 feet above sea level in some places. The
diversity of Wadi Mujib wildlife is still being
explored, but more than 420 species of plants,
and 102 species of birds and many animals, including
the homed Ibex and the carnivorous Caracal cat
are found there. The reserve has two main hiking
trails.
The
Dana Nature Reserve
Located
near Tafila, the l20-square-mile Dana Nature
Reserve extends from the top of the Jordan Rift
Valley to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba.
The beauty of the mountains and cliffs, the
mystery of the ancient ruins of Feinan, and
the diversity of the landscape will strike you.
Dana supports 703 species of plants, 38 species
of mammals, and 215 species of rare birds. There
is a complex made up of a small Guesthouse,
a nature shop and a Visitors' Centre to assist
guests.
The
Shaumari Nature Reserve
Located
east of Amman, the Shaumari Reserve was created
by the RSCN as a breeding centre for endangered
or locally extinct wildlife. Today, following
breeding programmes, it is home to Oryx, Ostriches,
Gazelles, and Onagers, some of the most rare
species of animal life in the Middle East. The
last wild Oryx in the world was killed in Oman
in 1972. Six years later, the RSCN brought eleven
Oryx from a USA survival herd and relocated
them in Shaumari. The herd has increased to
over 200, and Jordan now supplies Oryx to other
countries that are conducting reintroduction
programmes.
