Amman- 31 May, 2015

 

On May 31, 2015, the Center for the Study of Natural and Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature held a day-long stakeholder seminar for the Medscapes project. This was held at the Royal Academy for Nature Conservation in Ajloun.

 

The seminar  began with a brief introduction by the administrative coordinator of the project for the GJU, Miss Nour Khrais. This was followed by a summary of the project and its importance to the various stakeholders and for Jordan by Professor Nizar Abu-Jaber from GJU. Dr. Taleb Odeh (GJU) presented the application of Landscape Character Assessment and how this was applied to the pilot study area in the Yarmouk River Basin in northern Jordan. Eng. Natalia Boulad from the RSCN presented the results of the LCA study of the Mujib pilot study area. Finally, Mr. Hussam Uwaidat (RSCN) presented the concept of Hima in a historical and modern perspective, and how it is used for sustainable management in natural contexts.   

 

The meeting finished with a lively debate about how LCA could be used and the need for further development of the technique, as well as how to integrate it into the spatial planning process.

 

The seminar was attended by about 30 people representing the ministries of water, environment, agriculture, and municipalities, the Greater Amman Municipality in addition to Balqa and Yarmouk Universities. The meeting was followed by a tour of the academy as well as the Ajloun Nature Reserve.