Project launched to document Jordan’s flora and fauna

AMMAN — A systematic documentation of Jordan's flora and fauna is now available for researchers and decision makers, serving as a holistic reference for any ecosystem-related data. 

The first Biodiversity Information Management System (BIMS) in the Kingdom — deemed by experts an "ambitious" project to address any transformation in the area of biodiversity — was launched on Monday by the UNDP in cooperation with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). 

Supported by the Global Environment Society (GEF), the scheme will be a source for updates on information related to biodiversity, help identify trends and ensure that any major biodiversity changes remain within acceptable limits by including remedial measures that will be triggered by the monitoring process. 

The BIMS will include three regions; Dibeen Forest Reserve and its related ecological areas, the Petra Development and Tourism Region and Wadi Rum. 

"The society [RSCN] has relied on scientific research in all its environmental studies and surveys conducted in the past two decades, which have been used as a tool for monitoring socio-environmental changes," RSCN Director General Yehya Khaled said during a ceremony to mark the launch of the system. 

The BIMS has been prioritised during the implementation of the USAID/GEF "Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation in Tourism Sector Development in Jordan" programme, which seeks to reduce the impact of tourism on biodiversity in Jordan.

Programme Manager at the UNDP Majida Alassaf highlighted the importance of the scheme, which provides an opportunity for the tourism sector and the concerned companies to apply the best international practices in the area of sustainable tourism.