Sustainable Use of Ecosystem Services in Jordan
Jordan’s rapidly expanding population coupled with the current way of living by the exploitation of the natural resources is creating environmental pressure and leaving a mark on one of the world’s most arid countries. The impacts of climate change and overgrazing of the remaining arable lands are putting additional pressure on the country’s extremely limited natural resources. The ecosystems are highly vulnerable and fragile, and their ecological integrity has already been substantially weakened. People are now using these ecosystems for agriculture and livestock grazing in ways that are unsustainable. This has led to a continual reduction in soil fertility, loss of biodiversity, and threatens the livelihoods and food security of the population.
The Jordanian Ministry of Environment recognises the importance of intact ecosystems and their ecosystem services, including the multiple and complex interactions between water, soils, plants, animals, and humans that are essential for the economy, nutrition and people’s livelihoods. According to environmental legislation, the Ministry has an overarching responsibility for the protection and conservation of the environment. In addition, Jordan has signed all of the key global environmental agreements. Over 50 recognised non-governmental organisations are working on environmental issues, and roughly 20 of these are focusing on ecosystem services.
However, these prerequisites have not led yet to the sustainable use of ecosystems or to sufficient attention being paid to ecosystem services in Jordanian policies. Decisions on new infrastructure projects, land use or state investments do not take the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services into consideration. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH promotes greater consideration of biodiversity and ecosystem services in national policies through the project "Sustainable use of ecosystem services in Jordan - Energy and Climate Fund ".
Objective
National policy-making processes have taken biodiversity and ecosystem services into greater account, including their importance for climate change adaptation.
Approach
At the national level, GIZ is providing advisory support to the Jordanian Ministry of Environment. The integrated field case studies on sustainable rangeland management and ecotourism are managed by a consulting company and focus on the Jordan Rift Valley between the Syrian border in the northern part of the country and Karak in the South.
