RSCN rehabilitates fire-affected land in Dibeen Forest Reserve

AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), rehabilitated 100 dunums of fire-affected land in the Dibeen Forest Reserve.

“We have implemented a rehabilitation project in two areas in the reserve,” Dibeen Forest Reserve Manager Basheer Ayasrah told The Jordan Times on Monday.

He added that the RSCN personnel in Dibeen Forest Reserve seek to fight forest fires, sustain the area’s ecosystem and create a protective environment in the reserve.

Funded by decentralised projects, Dibeen Forest Reserve personnel launched the project in 2019, planting around 2,500 trees, with the aim of supporting the natural system, Ayasrah said.

“The project has contributed to reducing damaged areas, and the rehabilitation was 90 per cent successful,” he said, noting that the Aleppo pine trees in the reserve are susceptible to fires.

The Dibeen Forest Reserve extends over 8.5 square kilometres of mountainous terrain, covering an area of pristine pine-oak habitat, according to the RSCN website.

Dibeen is the driest part of the world in which the Aleppo pines are known to grow naturally, with an average rainfall of around 400mm per year, according to the website. 

“Dibeen is one of the best remaining examples of the original pine-oak forest cover in the region and supports at least 17 threatened species, like the Persian Squirrel, and other globally significant biodiversity,” the website said.