Jordan Times
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
UNDP grants $110,000 for environment protection
AMMAN (JT) — The United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) has granted $110,000 to three NGOs for the implementation of
grassroots projects in the field of environmental protection and conservation.
The grant falls within the UNDP-administered Global Environment Facility /Small
Grants Programme (GEF/SGP), a fund that supports community-level solutions to
environmental problems.
The projects are in line with GEF/SGP strategic objectives, which focus on
achieving global environmental benefits in the areas of biodiversity, climate
change, international waters, land degradation and persistent organic
pollutants, as well as enhancing livelihoods of local communities and their
capacities to manage natural resources, according to a UNDP statement.
The Productive Village Cooperative in Al Salhiyeh Village will use the funds to
rehabilitate the plant cover surrounding the area. The project seeks to control
the formation of dust and sand dunes on village dwellings, which affect the
health, social and economic life of the community.
Negative human practices, including overgrazing, tree cutting and use of
four-wheel drive vehicles, in addition to climatic conditions are responsible
for the situation, the statement said.
To address the problem, the society, in cooperation with the Wadi Rum Nature
Area, will rehabilitate the area around the village by cultivating indigenous
plants and establishing a nursery to propagate these plants to be grown on a
large scale.
The project will mobilise the local community and enhance its participation in
conservation efforts in the area, according to the statement.
In Madaba Governorate, Al Noor Cooperative will implement the “Sustainable
Rangeland Management in Al Faisaliyeh Area” project, designed to maintain
rangeland productivity. The project seeks to sustain the livelihoods of the
local community by promoting the raising of a special breed of goats
characterised by their high milk yield, which are suitable for confined keeping,
thus alleviating the pressure on natural rangeland. The project will also
include an awareness component for livestock farmers and local community
members, the statement said.
In the northeastern badia, the South Azraq Women’s Society for Social
Development, in cooperation with the Azraq Wetland Reserve, will use its grant
to implement a pilot project for the conservation of biodiversity in the Azraq
Oasis using information technology.
The project seeks to foster partnership between the local community and the
reserve through participation in environmental research, bird monitoring and
bird ringing programmes.
An IT centre will be established, enabling students to log into websites related
to nature conservation, with special focus on wetlands, where they can access
information on migratory birds and the various elements that affect their
migration.
Under the project, student visits to the reserve and various awareness
activities will be organised.
UNDP Resident Representative ad interim Mona K. Hider signed the three grant
agreements with heads of the respective organisations at the UNDP headquarters
in Amman on Monday.