Jordan's Nature Reserves

G.Wesley Burnett & Ingrid E. Schneider

Instructor Helps

Relevant Courses:

Consideration and discussion of environmental conservation programs in modern Jordan specifically and in the Middle East and North Africa generally would contribute to introductory courses in geography, cultural anthropology and ecologically based biology. Advanced regional courses, courses in comparative religion, and courses in conservation biology should automatically consider issues surrounding biological conservation in the Middle East and North Africa.

The literature concerned with biological conservation and national parks in various countries and regions of the world is prolific but unsystematic and disorganized. An adequate search would involve a systematic approach to indexes ranging from history, through the social sciences and ending with Biological Abstracts. It is consequently a very difficult literature to approach even among specialists and graduate students. The available literature in English concerned with Jordan specifically, or the Middle East and North Africa generally is not prolific, which makes it even more difficult to approach. This is not a topic where term papers are to be encouraged among other than advanced, specialized students.

Discussion topics:

In introductory course discussions might profitably be focused on:

1. Given Jordan’s relative poverty, how can it justify commitment to a program of biological conservation? Given the condition of its environment, how could it possibly justify not having a program of biological conservation?

2. In what respect is Jordan’s program of biological conservation unusual if not unique in comparison with programs in more developed countries, particularly the USA? How might the USA benefit from implementing aspects of Jordan’s program in its conservation areas (national parks, monuments and so forth)? What objections would this create in the USA?

In more advanced courses the instructor might want to explore:

1. The implications of biogeographical island theory for the maintenance and restoration of species diversity on the Karak Plateau, to topic that would quickly become fairly mathematical.

2. The comparative environmental ethic of Islam and other religions. A good reader on this topic is: Jean Holm, ed., ATTITUDES TO NATURE (London: Pinter Publishers, 1994).

Authors:

G. Wesley Burnett, Professor,Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management and Department of History/Geography, Celemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634 USA, Telephone 864-656-3400, e-mail karlosk@clemson.edu

Ingrid E. Schneider, Research Associate, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA, Telephone 612-624-2250, e-mail ingridss@umn.edu