Prince Hassan says nature must be viewed as living system

AMMAN — The concept of “Hima” is global and ever-expanding, encompassing the humanitarian and material environment, HRH Prince Hassan said on Tuesday.

At the opening of the second regional Hima Forum, Prince Hassan, who is the chairman of the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) Institute, said plans to administer Hima, which stands for Human Integrated Management Approach and also means “protected area” in Arabic, must take into account the need to serve public interest out of a shared responsibility.

Hima is a community-based natural resources management system that seeks to preserve natural resources and the environment for future generations.

In 2014, Prince Hassan ratified the Amman declaration on Hima, which cites it as a tradition that dates back to thousands of years aimed at maintaining natural resources, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The land-use zoning concept is a practice that dates back to the pre-Islamic era of the Arabian Peninsula and was further shaped by Prophet Mohammad, who combined it with Islamic principles of social justice.

Speaking at the forum, organised by WANA in partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Prince Hassan said the concept entails acknowledging nature as a living system rather than a commodity.

It also encompasses practices such as good governance, conservation and education, which enriches the social, cultural and human capital, Petra reported.

Talks at the forum addressed the progress achieved in reviving the concept of Hima and protecting rural lands, according to Petra.