Ajloun, Feb. 16 (Petra) -- Specialists and environmental and tourism stakeholders in Ajloun Governorate stressed that biodiversity is a cornerstone in strengthening and sustaining vegetation cover, citing its direct role in soil protection, erosion control, air quality improvement and maintaining ecological balance.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), pundits said Ajloun, with its natural forests and wide green spaces, is among the Kingdom’s leading tourism destinations, hosting a diverse ecosystem that supports vegetation stability and natural regeneration, particularly in forested areas.

Member of the Higher Advisory and Steering Committee of the Jordan Environment Society, MP Wasfi Haddad, underscored the need for coordinated official and community efforts to preserve biodiversity in the governorate. He said forest wealth is a key pillar of environmental, food and tourism security.

President of Ajloun National University, Feras Hanandeh, called for intensifying environmental awareness programs in schools and universities. He stressed integrating environmental concepts into curricula, organizing volunteer campaigns and field activities to promote forest and biodiversity conservation, and holding specialized workshops and lectures to strengthen students’ sense of environmental responsibility and citizenship values linked to protecting natural resources for future generations.

Director of Ajloun Agriculture Directorate, Sitan Sarhan, said the directorate implements annual plans to rehabilitate forests and expand green areas through national afforestation campaigns. He added that it monitors violations and regulates grazing and logging in line with applicable laws.

Protecting vegetation cover, he said, helps erosion and desertification while preserving ecological balance in the governorate.

For his part, Acting Director of the Ajloun Forest Reserve, Adi Qudah, said the reserve is a national model for sustainable natural resource management. It combines ecosystem protection with support for local communities through eco-tourism and productive projects. He noted that biodiversity in Ajloun carries environmental, tourism and economic value that requires further partnerships and support to ensure sustainability.

Qudah added that the reserve is listed within the global network of Man and the Biosphere Reserves of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), reflecting its environmental standing and international importance.

The designation underscores its commitment to best practices in natural resource management and to balancing biodiversity conservation with the economic and social empowerment of local communities under a sustainable development framework.

Member of the Green Planet Association for Environmental Protection, Mahmoud Yousef, said environmental work is no longer the sole responsibility of official entities but a national and societal duty that requires active participation from all segments of society, particularly youth and women.

He added that the association implements awareness campaigns and field activities targeting schools, universities and local communities to promote pollution reduction, forest and biodiversity protection, and environmentally sound practices such as recycling and rationalizing water and energy consumption.

//Petra// NQ

16/02/2026 14:21:23