Karak Resources Project

The Qur’an asserts an exceptional environmental ethic. Humankind is given the Earth but is warned that all creatures are a “people like unto you” with the function to bear witness to Allah’s majesty. Reality in the Middle East, however, seems to mock Islam’s environmental scruples. Forests, woodlands, and wetlands are gone along with their wildlife, while places that recently supported pastures and fields are entirely de-vegetated. Explanations for environmental degradation are many, but of greater concern is the seeming indifference of many countries to calamitous environmental degradation. Nature, and its conservation, has been neglected in the face of nation-building, economic development, and regional geopolitical realities.

There are, however, encouraging changes in the Arab World’s approach to nature conservation, and in Jordan, this change is dramatic. Jordan has a rich and diverse natural and cultural environment that offers exceptional opportunities for conservation through establishment of nature reserves. Typically British-colonial in the origin, Jordan’s reserves evolved uniquely to give a private organization responsibility for its nature reserves. Jordan is developing a national policy, administrative structure and a secure management environment in which representative reserves can prosper. Consequently, Jordan is able to marshal an unusual mix of natural and institutional resources for accomplishing its goals and is becoming a regional leader in nature conservation.