Toolkit For Mainstreaming Biodiversity on Southern Jordan *Draft* Boshra Salem December, 2014 1 Acknowledgement I would like to thank the International Union for Conservation of Nature – Regional office of west Asia ((IUCN-ROWA) who have supported this toolkit realization. Thanks are due to Dr Hany El Shaer for providing valuable contribution and advices. Thanks are also to Prof. Zuhair Amr for providing a detailed field study of the study area. 2 Table of Content Section Page List of Figures 4 List of Tables 5 List of Boxes 5 List of Acronyms 6 About the Toolkit 7 Introduction 9 PART I 1. Overview of the Biodiversity in Jordan 9 1.1. Major Soil Types 14 1.2. Jordan Biography 15 1.3. Biodiversity in Jordan 18 2. Overview of the Study Area 25 Part II 3. The Biodiversity Mainstreaming Toolkit 39 3.1. Goals of the Mainstreaming Biodiversity 40 3.2. Desired Biodiversity Outcomes 3.3. Diagnosis of the Current State of Biodiversity 42 Mainstreaming 3.4. Identify sectors and development goals which 46 biodiversity concerns are to be mainstreamed 3.5. Stakeholders of the Study Area 47 3.6. Develop a Business Case 49 3.7. Identify enabling factors for Mainstreaming 51 3.8. Develop a monitoring and Evaluation system 51 for Biodiversity References 53 Appendix 1: AMOEBA Toolkit 55 Appendix 2: National Sectorial Plans and Policies Relevant to SLM 60 – Jordan List of Figures Figure # Figure name page 3 Figure 1 Map of Jordan 11 Figure 2 Average Monthly Temperature and Rainfall 1990-2009. 11 Data extracted from World Bank data .www.worldbank .org Figure 3 Distribution of Rainfall in Jordan 12 After ICARDA- OASIS report 1 Figure 4 Physiographic regions 13 Source GCEP. Jordan country Study on Biological Diversity 1998 http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Counprof/ PDF%20files/Jordan.pdf Figure 5 Phytogeography of the (a) Middle East and (b) Jordan 15 Figure 6. Ecological Habitats in Jordan 17 Figure 7 vegetation map of Jordan according to the classification of 18 plant species made by the Royal Botanic garden Figure 8 Location of the study area 25 Figure 9 Bio geographical map of Jordan showing the study area 27 Figure 10 Location of the 5 studied segments n the study area. After 28 Z.Amr, 2014 Rapid assessment study of Biodiversity of Shawbak Figure 11 Protected areas within the study site (Cyan polygons) 29 Figure 1 land uses within the study area 38 Figure 13 Representation of the mainstreaming issues 40 Figure 14 Flow Chart of the Biodiversity Mainstreaming 41 Figure 15 Distribution of the selection of approaches to address 46 complex issues like biodiversity 4 List of Tables Table # Table name page Table 1 Jordan: Evolution of population and labour force size 12 Table 2 Phyto geographical regions of Jordan and the associated 16 endemism Table 3 The key attributes of IBAs in Jordan (data obtained from the 19 5th national biodiversity report) Table 4 Population size of Ma'an and Tafiela by administrative 26 regions Table 5 Plant species categories in DBR (Source: RSCN, 1994) 30 Table 6 Entry points for mainstreaming at different levels 47 Table 7 Summary of the Data to be included in the business case 50 Table 8 Monitoring and Evaluation questions 51 Boxes Box 1 Valuation of Ecosystem Services 42 Box 2 Stakeholders of the Study Area 48 Box 3 Biodiversity messaging that speaks to key policy priorities of 49 most governments: 5 List of Acronyms ADDSR Agriculture Directorate for Developing the Sharah Region (MOE) CBD Convention on Biological Diversity DBR Dana Biosphere Reserve FAO Food and Agriculture Organization IBA Important Bird Areas ICARDA International Centre for Agricultural Research in dry Area IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature MAB Man and the Biosphere MOE Ministry of Environment MOA Ministry of Agriculture M&E Monitoring and evaluation MSP Medium – Size Project NSAD National Strategy for Agriculture Development NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan RBG Royal Botanic Garden RSCN Royal Society for Conservation of Nature SLM Sustainable Land Management UNCCD United Nation Convention for Combating Desertification 6 About the Toolkit This toolkit is a component of a GEF MEDIUM-SIZE PROJECT (MSP)” Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Sylvo-pastoral and Rangeland Landscapes in the Al Sharah Agricultural Development Region of Southern Jordan” . This GEF project aims at promoting a new way of mainstreaming biodiversity in Jordan: new approaches to ecosystem management, policy implementation, partnerships, more effective capacity development, institutional development, and community collaboration. The more specific Objective of the project is to mainstream biodiversity conservation in sylvo-pastoral and rangeland management activities particularly in buffer zones associated with existing (and proposed) Nature Reserves and to produce local economic benefits and poverty alleviation in a sustainable and replicable manner. Another aim of developing this tool-kit is to support the implementation of the NBSAP through “mainstreaming” biodiversity into other sectors. Mainstreaming biodiversity is about having NBSAP issues supported in the actions of other sectors, particularly to avoid the unintended loss of or impacts on biodiversity. The most strategic path is to work for a “win-win” arrangement that meets the obligations or mandate of both sectors. This tool-kit will be mainly designed for policy makers. The project “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Sylvo-pastoral and Rangeland Landscapes in the Al Sharah Agricultural Development Region of Southern Jordan” is designed to produce four Outcomes. Outcome 1 of which is “Enhanced capacity building and awareness raising for biodiversity mainstreaming in local communities and government agencies”. As the capacity building and awareness of some of the values of biodiversity (intrinsic through to economic) is relatively low in rural Jordan, the project will pay special attention to increasing the capacity of the government institutions (primarily ADDSR) and local communities to incorporate biodiversity conservation as a complementary economic activity. This includes the initiation of new biodiversity conservation mechanisms and tools. This toolkit also presents a review of the current state of knowledge on biodiversity in Jordan generally and specifically on the study area of the project. It is intended to support biodiversity - development mainstreaming efforts by synthesizing experience to date that can help make a strong business case for integrating biodiversity in policy, planning and budgetary processes. It will be of use to policy-makers and stakeholders interested in or working on biodiversity and development mainstreaming. The information in this report is largely based on a review of existing literature and inputs from experts on biodiversity –development mainstreaming, and the fifth national report on the Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Jordan. 7 Introduction Drylands are defined by water scarcity and characterized by seasonal climatic extremes and unpredictable rainfall patterns (Davis et al., 2012) This definition is in line with the definitions of IUCN, UNEP and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UNCCD. Yet despite their relative levels of aridity, drylands contain a great variety of biodiversity, much of which is highly adapted to dryland ecology. As a result there are many animal and plant species and habitats found only in drylands: some semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas are among the most biodiverse regions in the world. Diversity is also great within drylands, for example between areas of different aridity, temperature or altitude. Drylands, including dry sub-humid, semi-arid, arid and hyper-arid lands, cover 41.3%2 of the earth’s land surface and dryland biodiversity plays a pivotal role in the global fight against poverty, climate change and desertification. Paradoxically, many people also consider the drylands to be barren with little value or interest (Davis et al., 2012). Species richness is generally lower in the drylands than in tropical forests but within-species diversity may be higher due to this diversity of habitats and the isolation of populations. The cultural diversity, dramatic landscapes and iconic wildlife of the drylands contrast starkly with the negative attitudes that some people hold towards them. Many traditional land management practices have proven to be more economically viable than more ‘modern’ alternatives, whilst simultaneously providing conservation benefits. The ecological rationale of these traditional strategies developed through a deep understanding by the indigenous communities of their surrounding natural environment ensures both economic and environmental sustainability. Species have adapted to these factors in many unique ways creating a variety of habitats that are essential to the survival of species as well as to the livelihoods of people. Wetlands, forests, mountains and other habitat types provide vital resource patches within the drylands. The biodiversity in drylands is of tremendous global importance, being central to the well-being and development of millions of people in developing countries. Global leaders from governments and civil society, in June 2012, the Rio +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, reaffirmed the intrinsic value of biological diversity and recognized the severity of global biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems. Biodiversity must always be approached in terms of two inseparable concepts: pattern and process, where pattern’