The Natural Environment
In Jordan you can breakfast in the desert, lunch under a pine tree and dine on bananas from the subtropical Jordan Valley. Not many countries exhibit such diversity within such a compact area. For the naturalist, this makes Jordan a dream. Thankfully, the authorities have been quick to recognise the country’s wild appeal and have actively encouraged ecotourism. Whether you’re a raptor enthusiast or casual fan of flowers, there’s sure to be something to please you in Jordan’s modest acreage.
The Land
At 91,860 sq km, Jordan is slightly smaller than Portugal or the US state of Virginia. Distances are short – it’s only 430km from Ramtha, on the Syrian border in the north, to Aqaba in the south. TE Lawrence was pleased that he could cover Azraq to Amman in a hard, three-day camel ride. Today you can travel by car from tip to toe in around six hours. If you want to see anything, though, there’s a lot to be said for the camel.
Geographically, Jordan can be divided into three major regions: the Jordan Valley, the East Bank Plateau and the desert.
Jordan Valley Ecosystem
Jordan edges the Great Rift Valley, stretching from East Africa’s lakes to southern Syria. The rift was created as the Arabian plate pulled away from the African plate, a geological event that gave rise to the Red Sea. Jordan’s Wadi Araba, the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley lie on this fault line. Sitting beside the effervescent springs at Hammamat Ma’in, it becomes obvious that this process of tectonic separation isn’t yet complete.
Trickling through the northern part of the valley is the lowest-lying river on earth, the Jordan River, fed from the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), the Yarmouk River and hillside streams. This permanent fresh water has given rise to a humid, subtropical valley, highly fertile and intensively farmed.
Walking under the valley’s flame and tamarisk trees you may see sunbirds and kingfishers or an endangered otter heading for the reeds. What you won’t see is the lion, bear, elephant, rhino and herds of wild ass that Palaeolithic remains prove were once resident here.
Not everything in the region has changed, however. The fish in Madaba’s famous mosaic, twisting back from certain death at the mouth of the Jordan River, show that the Dead Sea was as insupportable of life in Byzantine times as it is today. Change is all a matter of time scale, however. Go way back in history, between the two ice ages, and scientists speculate from recently discovered salt crystals under today’s body of water that the Dead Sea area suffered an intense drought and perhaps evaporated, as it appears to be doing today.
East Bank Plateau Ecosystem
High above the Jordan Valley – cut by a series of epic gorges carved out in slow motion by the wadis of Zarqa, Mujib and Hasa – is the hilly and temperate East Bank Plateau. It comprises the forested hills of northern Jordan (less than 1% of Jordan is wooded), rich in Aleppo pines, oak and red-barked strawberry trees, and home to ill-tempered wild boar, polecats, stone martens and porcupines.
Wildflowers, including pink hollyhocks, poppies and yellow daisies, bloom in magnificent abundance in spring. This is the time to spot the black iris (actually a deep purple), the national flower of Jordan.
The East Bank Plateau contains the main centres of population (Amman, Irbid, Zarqa and Karak) and has been crossed by caravans for centuries. The plateau landscape of fig and olive groves, occasional vineyards and closely cropped pastureland reflects this human interaction. If you hike near Madaba in the summer, you’ll see Bedouin grazing their stock on the hillside; they descend to lower ground in winter to escape the bitter winds. Since the time of Moses, their husbandry has shaped the land, etching ancient paths around the closely cropped contours.
Pockets of pristine plateau wilderness remain towards the southern end of the plateau around Dana. This rocky wilderness of outstanding biodiversity is the habitat of elusive caracals (Persian lynx), felines with outrageous tufts of hair on the tips of their outsized ears. It is also home to ibex, endangered goats with enormous horns that cling to the craggy folds of limestone.
From a height of 600m to 900m above sea level, the plateau ends near the Red Sea port of Aqaba.
JORDAN’S BIODIVERSITY
Birds Jordan’s location on the edge of the Great Rift Valley makes it an important migration route for birds. More than half a million birds transit between Russia, Central Europe and Africa, breaking their journey in Jordan’s dwindling oases and wetlands. The Sinai Rosefinch, Jordan’s national bird, can be spotted in and around Petra.
Animals A successful breeding program for the Nubian ibex by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN; www.rscn.org.jo) began in Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve in 1989. Some have been reintroduced into the wild and the herds are increasing. An attempt to release oryx bred at Shaumari Wildlife Reserve into Wadi Rum initially met with less success, with some wandering over the border to Saudi Arabia, but the work to reintroduce Jordan’s national animal continues.
Reptiles Jordan’s brightly coloured reptiles are shy but considerably less elusive than the foxes and other fur- and feather-clad predators that feed on them. The bright turquoise Sinai agama and the changing coloration of the chameleon are two of many striking inhabitants of Jordan’s jebel landscape. Around 35 snake species have been recorded in Jordan, some of which are venomous; they are seldom aggressive unless provoked.
Invertebrates In arid areas of Jordan, scorpions are common but shy nocturnal residents. It’s worth knocking out boots in the morning to check for stowaways.
Fish The Gulf of Aqaba, part of the Red Sea, sustains 230 species of coral and 1000 types of fish.
Plants Jordan boasts more than 2500 species of wild plants, including 20 species of orchid. Wildflowers of Jordan & Neighbouring Countries by Dawud MH Al Eisawi has useful photographs that are helpful in identification. A trip to the Royal Botanic Garden outside Amman is a good way to become familiar with native species, including Jordan’s famous black iris.
Desert Ecosystem
On its eastern flank, the East Bank Plateau glides gradually into the desert. More than 90% of Jordan is desert, but it’s home to only 5% of the population. The forbidding volcanic basalt rock of the northeast gives way to soft-whittled sandstone and granite in the south and the famous escarpments of Wadi Rum. In between, the stony wasteland known as the Badia slides into 1000km of nothingness, interrupted only by the occasional succulent, a wandering camel or camouflaged lizard.
When you travel along empty Route 10, it’s impossible to imagine that anything could survive such desolation. But then, miraculously, you reach Azraq Wetland Reserve, a desert oasis attracting great numbers of migrating birds. Herons and egrets fish patiently among the croaking toads, and predators such as the desert fox, wolf and jackal lurk beyond the fringes of the oasis waiting for a careless desert hare to run out of luck.
Some desert species ran out of luck a long time ago, hunted to extinction before conservation became part of the modern sensibility. In Shaumari Wildlife Reserve (newly reopened after a decade of redevelopment) there’s a chance to see the animals that once roamed these plains before they are reintroduced to the wild.
Protected Areas
Established in 1966, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN; www.rscn.org.jo) is an unusual NGO in that it has a national mandate to run biodiversity projects on behalf of the nation. It is now Jordan’s main environmental agency.
The RSCN has been successful in its founding remit: to help save animal and plant species from extinction and to reintroduce several locally extinct species, such as the Arabian oryx. Over the past two decades, however, the RSCN has developed a much wider focus, recognising that tourism has an important role to play. The result has been a modern and highly successful program of ecotourism projects, centred on RSCN reserves.
Jordan’s Nature Reserves
The RSCN maintains nine reserves and helps manage the Wadi Rum protected area. It is also in the process of setting up a reserve at Burqu in eastern Jordan to protect the sand cat among other desert species. These reserves should not be confused with Jordan’s ‘national parks’, which are unstructured, recreational areas, such as Zay National Park, near Salt.
Ajloun Forest Reserve; 13 sq km, established 1988) This pretty reserve has easy trails, pistachio and oak forest, spring flowers and cottage industries.
Azraq Wetland Reserve; 12 sq km, 1977) In spring and autumn, hundreds of migratory birds can be seen from a bird hide and boardwalk in this refuge amid the damaged and shrunken marshland.
Dana Biosphere Reserve; 320 sq km, 1989) A spectacular wilderness area with various trails, Dana encompasses rugged mountains and desert with 600 species of plants, 200 species of bird and over 40 species of mammal.
Dibeen Forest Reserve; 8 sq km, 2005) One of the last Aleppo pine forests left in Jordan, Dibeen protects endangered species such as the Persian squirrel.
Fifa Reserve (27 sq km, 2011) Rare subtropical vegetation, home to migratory waterbirds.
Mujib Biosphere Reserve; 212 sq km, 1988) Used for the captive breeding of Nubian ibexes, Mujib has an impressive ecotourism program, with canyon walks and waterfall rappelling.
Qatar Nature Reserve An arid terrain on the edge of the Wadi Araba escarpment.
Shaumari Wildlife Reserve; 22 sq km, 1975) This small reserve was established to reintroduce the locally extinct Arabian oryx, ostrich, gazelle and onager.
Wadi Rum Protected Area; 540 sq km, 1998) This beautiful desert – a Unesco site since 2011 and controlled by the Aqaba government – is the Bedouin heartland, offering camping, camel treks and 4WD excursions.
Yarmouk Nature Reserve (30 sq km, 2011) Undeveloped home to waterbirds, endangered gazelles and otters.
