Jordans first marine reserve in the works

AMMAN — The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is preparing to establish the first marine reserve in the Kingdom, following His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to hasten its implementation in coordination with stakeholders, ASEZA Chief Commissioner Nayef Bakhit said on Wednesday.

Bakhit told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the establishment of the reserve aims at increasing awareness on preserving natural resources and urging stakeholders to implement projects and initiatives that contribute to sustaining these resources for future generations.

Jordan was among the first countries to join international environmental conventions and implement all commitments through cooperation with international organisations to protect its biodiversity, mainly via establishing nature reserves nationwide, he noted.

The chief commissioner also pointed to the cooperation between ASEZA and the UNDP to establish the reserve under the best international practices seeking to create balance between the sustainable consumption of marine resources and their protection.

The marine reserve will be an addition to Jordan’s nature reserve network and will contribute to protecting the biodiversity of marine environmental ecosystems across the world, Bakhit said.

He noted that, after the reserve is established, the next step will be to set it up as a candidate for UNESCO’s Natural Heritage list according to international terms and regulations, in a bid to attract more tourists to Aqaba.