Start date 2007
End date 2008
Funded by USAID

Carefully targeted to specific institutional needs, this project is improving RSCN’s ability to manage its eco-tourism operations effectively and maintain its role as the primary agency for eco-tourism development in Jordan. Activities are centered on introducing web-based systems for tourism booking, sales and marketing and overall financial management, on the redevelopment of the RSCN and Wild Jordan websites. There is also a component for supporting the integration of the private sector into handicraft design.

Start date 2003
Expected end date 2008
Funded by the Global Environment Facility, through the World Bank

This project aims to improve the conservation of medicinal and herbal plants in three main ways: (i) in situ protection; (ii) ex-situ cultivation; and (iii) by encouraging sustainable use by local communities. The project is focused on the Mujib Nature Reserve, which supports a wide range of wild herbal and medicinal plants.

Start date 2002
Expected end date 2007
Funded by the Global Environment Facility, through UNDP

Through this project, RSCN has been able to establish a nature reserve in the forests of Dibeen in north Jordan and to introduce socio-economic programs for local communities that support sustainable use of forest resources. Dibeen represents one of the best remaining examples of natural pine-oak forest in the region and supports over 17 endangered species and other globally significant biodiversity.

Start date 2007
Expected end date 2013
Funded by the Global Environment Facility, through the World Bank

The main objective of this project is to secure the ecological integrity of the Jordan Rift Valley as a globally important ecological corridor and migratory flyway, through a combination of sites protection, management, nature-based socio-economic development and land-use planning. As a part of this project, RSCN is proposing the establishment of four new protected areas in Fifa, Qatar, Yarmouk River Valley, and Jabal Mas’uda. To learn more about this project click here.

Ongoing program
Funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation

This long running program promotes and delivers training courses and capacity building initiatives throughout the Middle East region. It builds upon the accumulated knowledge and professional experience of RSCN in the fields of natural resource management and sustainable conservation approaches. An annual training program is prepared and delivered by RSCN’s Regional Training Unit, which works directly with a group of regional partner organizations, both government and civil society based.

Start date 2005
Expected end date 2010
Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

This project contributes to the conservation of areas of high biodiversity value in the Middle East and North Africa region by stimulating eco-tourism as an income source and vehicle for community and institutional development. It is working on two pilot eco-tourism developments, one at Jaboul Lake in northern Syria and one in the Bekkar Valley in Lebanon. It has also created an interactive network for eco-tourism practitioners that can be accessed through www.e-waen.org

Start date 2006
Expected end date 2010
Funded by the European Commission through the Hanns Seidel Foundation

Sustainable forest management in the Ajloun region of Jordan is the focus of this 4-year project. Using RSCN’s tourism program in the Ajloun Forest Reserve as a catalyst, new nature related businesses are being developed to provide alternative livelihood options to forest clearance and woodcutting for poor rural villagers living around the Reserve. Ultimately, the project aspires to mainstreaming these sustainable livelihood options into government land use strategies for the Ajloun area.

Start date 2008
End date 2009
Funded by USAID

This project aims to increase visibility of environment related issues in the local media; and to improve the quality of environmental reporting in Jordan.

The program will provide a group of selected journalists and outstanding students in the fields of Media and Communications with an awareness program about environment, biodiversity, ecosystems and other related issues; in an attempt to build a network of media experts specialized in environmental reporting. An award for the best environmental article will also be launched to encourage high quality environmental reporting.

Start date 2006
End date 2008

Since 2006, RSCN has worked in cooperation with IFAW, aiming to enhance biodiversity protection in Jordan. through this partnership, IFAW and RSCN have collaborated on several activities, such as providing training to build the capacity of regional CITES enforcement officers, supporting the progress of the rangers and environmental police unit, in addition to annually organizing Animal Action Week, the first event of its kind in the Arab world, to increase public awareness, especially among youths, about the importance of biodiversity conservation.

Funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

For several years JICA has provided RSCN with talented Japanese volunteers to assist in the work of the Outreach and Conservation Divisions. At the request of RSCN, most of these volunteers have been photographers or designers who have provided high quality images or design briefs for many RSCN publications or research programs. JICA has also kindly provided the photographic equipment necessary for these volunteers to do their work.