Jordan takes another definitive step towards a renewable future with a little help from its Czech friends
There will be no more stinky kerosene for the first solar-illuminated Bedouin tent in Jordan. Gas and kerosene lanterns have been replaced with a far more sustainable resource at the Rumana campsite in the Dana Biosphere Reserve. Donated by the Czech embassy in Jordan, the four solar units that will harness the sun – a cleaner, renewable energy resource – comprise just one initiative that the embassy has undertaken to help protect the local cultural and ecological heritage.
With nearly half of the country’s flora species and home to the southernmost remaining forest of pencil pine, the Czech embassy sought to protect the Dana Biosphere while simultaneously empowering the local community.
Director of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Yehya Khalid told the Jordan Times that “The solar energy project represents our vision to transform power in Dana to renewable, sustainable and clean energy.”
In addition to providing solar energy to the campsite, the Czech embassy has financed a weaving project at the Fenyan lodge and a candlemaking project that depict fauna and flora that are indigenous to the 300 square kilometer reserve.
Established in 1989, the Dana Biosphere Reserve lies in the Rift Valley that stretches from Syria to Mozambique. Considered the country’s most diverse, the landscape rises as high as 1600 meters above sea level and dips as low as 50 meters below. It is also considered a crucial site for migrating birds.
The Rumana campsite contains 20 large tents that can accommodate a total of 60 people, 2 Bedouin tents, an outdoor dining area, and ablution and bathing facilities. These important new sustainability initiatives assures nature-loving campers that their trip will have a less obtrusive impact on this precious habitat.
:: Jordan Times
More Environmental News from Jordan:
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Unholy Waters: The Jordan River is Nearly Dead
image via wikicommons
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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