|
The Country as a Biological Region
Though a small country comparable in size to Indiana, the
biological importance of Jordan, arising from its topographic
and climatic diversity and location proximate to three major
biomes, is hard to overstate. From the Dead Sea Rift Valley at
300 m below sea level, there is a steep and dramatic ascent to
between 1,250 and 1,650 m and then a gradual descent toward Iraq
and Saudi Arabia. The climate of the most densely settled parts
of Jordan is typically Mediterranean but of the driest type,
with precipitation concentrated in winter months while the
summers are hot and dry. Much of the Jordan Valley is
sub-tropical, but 86% of Jordan is steppe and desert and 14% is
Mediterranean shrub and woodland, the majority of which is
devoted to agriculture and settlement.
 Significantly,
Jordan is in a transitional zone between three of the world’s
major biomes. The Mediterranean biome is European and
characterized by such species as European roe and red deer,
squirrels, wolves and European foxes and rabbits. The
Irono-Turanian biome is Asiatic and characterized by Asiatic
species of rodents, Asiatic lions and antelope. The Saharo-Indian
biome is essentially African and is characterized by such
species as hyena, ostrich and cheetah. The result, in Jordan, is
a mixing of species generally separated by continents.
 Several
characteristics of Jordan’s history and sociopolitical
condition profoundly affect its ability to create and care for
nature reserves. First, significant archaeological sites are
ubiquitous and coincide predictably with biologically
important sites. In Jordan, the management of antiquities and
wildlife are inseparably linked. Second is Jordan’s long
history of human settlement from Paleolithic hunting and
gathering societies to modern urbanized societies all of which
have altered habitats, generally to the detriment of fauna.
Third, Jordan has had to steer a difficult, and sometimes
unsuccessful, course through a maze of geopolitical turmoil
that has often distracted it from important domestic issues,
including conservation.
|
