Amman - Iman Youssef
On the southern outskirts of the Jordanian capital, Amman, the largest reserve in Jordan is located on 292 square kilometers. It includes different terrain, areas covered by trees, and the rocks, which have beautiful shapes. It also contains the four vital geographical regions: the Mediterranean, the Iranian-Turani, the Arabian Desert and the Sudanese regions. Therefore, it is the most diverse area in terms of ecosystems and plant patterns such as juniper, evergreen oak, sand dunes, saplings and others.
During a media tour organized by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the tourism director of Dana Reserve, Raed Khawaldeh, said that RSCN's strategic role is to rehabilitate local communities, indicating that he works in the reserve for 22 years, where he began working as a tourist guide for visitors until he became director of tourism.
The reserve includes four hotels and two eco-camps offering visitors various services such as food, food, and food. The visitors enjoy an average of two days' stay, according to officials at the reserve, observing the stars at night with experts and specialists in the reserve, as well as Bedouin hospitality at Al Rummaneh environmental camp, located on a flat plateau with a distinctive view over the Jordan Valley.
The camp contains 25 tents equipped with accommodation for up to 60 people. It is divided into economic tents and deluxe tents, which have a magnificent view of Dana mountains, two large Bedouin tents, an outdoor dining area and shared bathrooms.
Dana Reserve is one of the most important protected areas in the world for conducting studies and research. There were 833 species of plant species, including three types of zeatriyat plants, which are registered for the first time. The reserve also contains 200 species of resident and settled birds as well as 43 types of mammals, including hyena, wolf, fox and mountain goat.
In 1994, RSCN took pioneering steps to try to conserve the precious biodiversity of Dana, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), as it developed the first protected area management plan in Jordan and made the dynamic protected environment of Dana an integrated model for the preservation of the environment, as well as socio-economic development.
The plan sets goals, strategies and priorities that ultimately seek to strike a balance between protecting the natural wonders of Dana and meeting the needs of the local population. This strategy is mostly based on the concept of zoning and identifying areas where activities can be established or not.
RSCN has received numerous international awards for its success in alleviating poverty for local communities and creating jobs and conservation efforts that include major threats to the natural environment of the region.