Jordan’s wild cats could face extinction as a result of climate

A local study, “Modeling the habitat suitability of cat species in Jordan - a tool for climate-responsive conservation planning”, seeks to understand the impact of climate change on the four types of wild cats Jordan still has – lynx, wild cat, bush cat, and sand cat – by developing models that depict the differences in suitable habitats for each species to live in the year 2100.اضافة اعلان

According to the study, the geographic areas of the lynx will shrink by 88 percent by 2050, to 2,200 Sq.km. from the Kingdom’s total area of only 2,400 Sq.km., and shrink further, by up to 89 percent, until 2070. The study also found that the sand cat’s habitat will get worse between 2050 and 2070.



To reach these results, a program was used to model the distribution of species, based on factors like temperature and rainfall. A number of layers, such as elevations and vegetation patterns, were added to the program as well.

According to the researchers, the findings, when viewed in light of Jordan’s deterioration of biodiversity, ecosystems, and habitats, are dangerous indicators that these species may become extinct if effective protection programs are not implemented. The study found that current nature reserves cannot protect these species the way they are supposed to.

According to the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) President Khaled Irani, such studies require in-depth and intensive research methods “because the monitoring process is lengthy and requires full specialized programs to achieve accurate results”.



According to Irani, the statement “sanctuaries will not be able to protect the animals” is a “broad statement with no specific evidence”.

“We are now in contact with the researchers who carried out the study, who are members of the association. This arose not out of disagreement, but rather in order to increase efforts to achieve more accurate results,” he said.

According to the researchers, the findings, when viewed in light of Jordan’s deterioration of biodiversity, ecosystems, and habitats, are dangerous indicators that these species may become extinct if effective protection programs are not implemented.

“The RSCN believes that the presence of youth efforts to study these topics is a positive thing, and we encourage and invite them to the association to support and help them, because we want them to continue and for the youth to be more aware of this sector,” he added.



He also said RSCN will issue statements “every month or two” about its research, which is focused on climate change and how biodiversity can be linked to climate change.

The decline of habitats is a result of urban encroachment, the effect of climate change, overgrazing on lands “we need to protect”, and the absence of forestation efforts, he said, adding that “when it comes to protected areas, Jordan has been greatly impacted by climate change”.

The RSCN told Jordan News that it is working to protect and conserve wild species, including wild cats, through a series of measures and interventions, like working to improve habitats and closing gaps between them by connecting forested areas and restoring vegetation cover in dry areas through direct interventions and the development of grazing plans.



Omar Abed, an animal studies researcher, stated that society is working on a set of rehabilitation programs for ecosystems in nature reserves as a critical component of its role in preserving biodiversity with its various components. “The results were translated as qualitative interventions that contributed to directing the reserve’s management to preserve and sustain biodiversity in the face of various challenges, including the effects of climate change and the extent to which nature reserves responded to this change,” he said.

Sensitive species, such as wild cats, are used as indicators of the health of vital systems due to their response to change, he said. Images from cameras used to monitor biodiversity in the Dana Reserve, for example, revealed that lynx and wild cats lived in healthy communities in their habitats between 2012 and 2022. The surveillance cameras also caught images of lynx in the Mujib Nature Reserve, which show how it behaves during the breeding season and where it lives.



“Wild cats are a shy species that is very sensitive to changes in the environment, and information about their distribution and way of life, especially in our region, is hard to come by. This can make it hard to trust models that show how societies change or disappear because of threats to their breeding,” he added.

Communities documented the presence of a sand cat community in the eastern desert, and the existence of a healthy sand cat community in the Burqa Reserve, but the species is vulnerable to general threats from human encroachment, habitat scattering, and destruction, and frequent dry cycles.



Work is currently underway to develop a more specialized program that monitors the sand cat using tracking devices to learn about its daily behavior, response to variables, and the extent of its spread, in order to protect it from threats.


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