Formulation of new by-law under way to protect Jordan’s natural gems

AMMAN — Jordan’s environmental community is currently debating the formulation of a new by-law, which aims to protect natural treasures from mounting threats, gather references on nature protection and preserve the country’s unique biodiversity.

The nature protection by-law, whose first draft is currently in discussion, will be part of the Environment Protection Law, which went into effect in April 2018, according to Jordan Environment Union (JEU) President Omar Shoshan.

“The Environment Protection Law stipulates that the Cabinet and the Ministry of Environment are allowed to issue by-laws under the umbrella of the law to regulate and address certain issues or by-sector,” Shoshan told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Such a by-law is significant because of the increasing threats to the country’s environment, which include urban expansion and mining plans in nature reserves, obstacles towards establishing future reserves, such as the Dahek and Burqu proposed reserves, in addition to challenges already facing the country’s limited forests, Shoshan said.

A group of 25 environmental experts, academia members, environmental activists and representatives of environmental agencies recently gathered from across the Kingdom to propose tasks for, and goals of, drafting a by-law on nature protection, the president commented.

“The fact that an elite group of environmental experts and representatives is brainstorming the tasks of the by-law is a reassuring positive step in involving the community in decision-making. This would ensure coming out with a strong by-law that supports Jordan’s natural capital,” the expert said.

Among the group’s main recommendations supported by the JEU is ensuring a broader participation of local communities in the process of nature protection and management of natural resources.

“It is imperative to empower local societies and institutions in order to protect the elements of nature via a bottom-up approach,” Shoshan highlighted.

The group also recommended establishing a higher council for nature protection, uniting the references on nature protection in Jordan, embedding international treaties to which Jordan is a signatory in the by-law’s clauses and naming the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as the technical reference when establishing new nature reserves, according to Shoshan.

"We did not draw up a timeframe on the issuance of the by-law, we want to take our time to make sure that we collectively drafted a strong by-law that can address any loopholes on other laws that tackle nature elements,” he concluded.