Aqaba marine reserve recognised on IUCN green list of protected areas

AMMAN — The Aqaba Marine Reserve (AMR) has been added to the Green List of Protected Areas, Chairman of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Nayef Fayez said on Saturday.

The announcement was made during a formal ceremony in Aqaba, attended by Minister of Environment Muawieh Radaideh and representatives from member states. 

The event was organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) West Asia Office, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Fayez noted that the Green List is the first globally recognised standard for best practices in managing protected areas. 

He commended Jordan’s leadership in establishing and managing nature reserves with high efficiency and effectiveness, emphasising that the achievement is in line with the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah.

 In 2020, King Abdullah called for the creation of the Aqaba Marine Reserve and its integration into Jordan’s national network of protected areas.

As part of its ongoing commitment to conservation, the ministry has prepared nomination files for both the IUCN Green List and UNESCO World Heritage recognition for the reserve.

Radaideh highlighted that since the establishment of the AMR, the Ministry of Environment has worked closely with both national and international organisations to implement biodiversity protection measures, including the creation of a national network of 11 nature reserves, which collectively cover around 5.4 per cent of the country’s total area.

Radaideh also announced that efforts are underway to nominate three additional reserves for inclusion on the Green List, adding that the ministry is actively strengthening partnerships with civil society organisations and promoting the concept of specially protected areas.

Previously, the Ajloun and Azraq Reserves were added to the Green List during the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2018.