AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) launched a booklet on the importance of plants in Jordan, entitled “Important Plant Area (IPA) in Jordan.”
اضافة اعلان
The booklet is an outcome of RSCN’s project “Circulating the Concept of Important Botanical Biodiversity” and a part of a national charter framework to preserve natural values. This charter is sponsored by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).
Qamar Al-Mimi and Bilal Ayasrah wrote the book in a simple language for specialists and non-specialists to enhance their knowledge of the importance of botanical regions and increase people’s interest in protecting the wildlife and reduce the negative effects on it.
The book is considered a tribute to the late Jordanian botanist Dawud Al-Eisawi, whose outstanding expertise and knowledge have been greatly influential through publications and research.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has adopted five standards for any place to obtain the “Important Ecological Areas” title, including the biodiversity of threatened species and habitats, geographically limited biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, rare regions that are irreplaceable through quantitative analysis, and the biological processes.
The booklet states that Umm Qais, Yarmouk, Malka, Ajloun mountains and Ashtafina, Sacep mountains, Gersh and Balqa, Dana, Shubak and Petra are regions of botanical importance.
The booklet indicates that Jordan is divided into four different biogeographical zones: the Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian, and Sudanian or Tropical penetration. Each of these diverse zones has its physical characteristics with distinct botanical plants, animal species, and other natural-related values.
According to the booklet, there are 13 different vegetation types within these zones.
Despite Jordan’s small area, it is rich in biodiversity compared to other countries in the region. The total number of botanical species in Jordan reaches 2543, divided under 142 families, constituting 1 percent of world plants, amounting to 250,000 species.
Categorizing botanical species in Jordan and their regions affects the geographical diverse regions and the common plant patterns. Eisawi had worked on a vegetation map from 1985 until 1996 that included 13 types of main plants in Jordan. The map is considered the main reference of botanical diversity in the Kingdom.
Regions of ecological importance are a priority since they make up a network of the most important species worldwide. They need close monitoring and evaluation to protect them from the threats surrounding them.
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