Deer reintroduced after being extinct for 70 years
AMMAN -- The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) has officially opened the Ajloun Forest Reserve as a captive breeding ground for the once extinct Roe Deer.
The environmental society reintroduced this species from Turkey in 1989, but only released them into the 13-square-kilometre reserve last year, ending more than 70 years of extinction.
"There are around 30 to 35 Roe Deer in the reserve now. At first, we brought back three Roe Deer from Turkey, which has a similar climate to Jordan's. It took us more than 10 years to breed the animals and in 2006 we let 20 of them out into the forest," Wild Jordan Director Chris Johnson told The Jordan Times.
"Before releasing them, we needed to create a rangers' team to watch over them and keep hunters away, particularly as they became extinct due to hunting," he added.
Johnson noted that the RSCN will not be carrying out any new captive breeding programmes due to limited resources, and as the breeding process is not always successful.
Instead, he said, "We are now protecting endangered species in the country, such as the desert gazelles which exist in the Jordan Valley and the eastern desert.
"Ironically, theses species are protected because they live around military areas, which hunters and people have no access to," Johnson added.
The rich forests that covered Ajloun, characterised by open woodland of evergreen oaks, pines, Palestine pistachios and wild strawberry trees, had once provided an ideal habitat for the Roe Deer. But 200 years of deforestation and hunting eventually took its toll on the indigenous wildlife.
The newly opened reserve includes 10 forest bungalows which have their own private terraces and a visitor centre with a restaurant overlooking Ajloun's green covered mountains and serving traditional Jordanian food.
It also forms part of the RSCN's policy to "conserve the biodiversity of Jordan and integrate its conservation programmes with socio-economic development, while promoting wider public support and action," according to the organisation's website.
In order to put this policy into practice, the RSCN says it recruits locally and purchases food and supplies from nearby villages, while the reserve's proceeds are used to preserve the facility and Ajloun's nature and wildlife.
"There are a lot of poor people in Ajloun and they are mostly farmers. In order to spread shares of the project around, we follow the 'mosaic approach,' where each of five families are requested to provide the restaurant with a specific material, such as bread, zatar (thyme) or cheese," Johnson said.
The reserve's visitor centre also includes a reception area, a training room and a nature store which displays local handicrafts.
The area around the forest contains many archaeological ruins. The nearby Tubna village includes a Zeidanian mosque dating back to 1750 and the Ajloun Castle, built by Saladin's nephew in 1184.
Today, there are more than ten villages surrounding the Ajloun reserve. Some villagers are involved in farming crops such as grapes, figs and olives while others work in the public sector.
The reserve also includes five newly built cabins with private facilities and small terraces open all year round, as well as ten four-person tented lodges with terraces and nearby showers and toilets.
Last year, the reserve attracted 8,000 tourists, the majority of them Jordanians, Johnson said.
"We are expecting more this year due to the new facilities added to the reserve," he added.
The RSCN was created in 1966 with a government mandate to protect the country's wildlife and natural beauty spots. Since then, its mission has expanded further to include a wide range of environmental issues and activities, including promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. Wild Jordan is the RSCN division responsible for developing ecotourism, handicrafts and other nature-related business.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2007
