Copper mining to foil bird watching tourism at Dana reserve — RSCN

AMMAN — Adjustments to Dana Biosphere Reserve’s boundaries will hinder the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature’s (RSCN) bird watching tourism plans.

The government recently commissioned the Ministry of Environment to redraw the boundaries of the Dana Biosphere Reserve to begin copper mining. 

Showing support for the reserve, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-Jordan), a nongovernmental association devoted to preserving sites in Jordan said: “As the world community is racing to increase its commitment to sustainability, the decision taken by the Jordanian government to change the delineated borders of the Dana Biosphere Reserve and open it for intrusive mining is short sighted and ill-advised.”

Dana Biosphere Reserve is the only reserve in Jordan that includes the country’s four different bio-geographical zones: Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian, Saharo Arabian and Sudanianor Tropical penetration, the RSCN website said.

The Dana Biosphere Reserve has recorded 217 bird species, making it one of the most important sites for migratory birds, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Sunday.

“Birds in Dana Biosphere Reserve constitute 50 per cent of the birds that have been recorded in Jordan,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the RSCN completed the outline for their national plan for bird watching tourism. 

“But, the fate of Jordan’s safe haven for birds remains unknown in the case of a copper mine adjacent to Dana Biosphere,” the statement said. 

Despite multiple attempts by The Jordan Times, the Environment Ministry spokesperson did not respond to request for comment.