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Eco-Jordan |
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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
organizations 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.
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