Rum Protected Area Management plan 2003- 2007 Prepared by The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature Table of Contents 1INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE PLAN ____________________________ 5 1.1Time Period and Review ________________________________________ 5 1.2Plan Format ___________________________________________________ 5 1.2.1SECTION (1): SITE DESCRIPTION _____________________________ 5 1.2.2SECTION (2): EVALUATION OF FEATURES ___________________ 6 1.2.3SECTION (3): OBJECTIVES OUTPUTS AND ACTION PLAN ____ 7 2List of Acronyms _______________________________________________ 8 3SECTION (1): SITE DESCRIPTION _____________________________ 10 3.1Physical Context ______________________________________________ 10 3.1.1Location / Boundaries: _________________________________________ 10 3.1.2Main Access Points: ___________________________________________ 11 3.1.3Map Coverage: ________________________________________________ 11 3.1.4Aerial Photographic Coverage: _________________________________ 11 3.1.5Photographic Coverage: ________________________________________ 11 3.2Land Tenure and Status _______________________________________ 12 3.2.1Traditional Land Tenure ________________________________________ 12 3.2.2Past Status and Interest _________________________________________ 12 3.2.3Current Status _________________________________________________ 13 3.2.4Other Designations ____________________________________________ 13 3.3Land Use _____________________________________________________ 13 3.3.1Tourism _______________________________________________________ 13 3.3.2Interpretation Use ______________________________________________ 17 3.3.3Educational Use _______________________________________________ 17 3.3.4Research Use __________________________________________________ 17 3.3.5Livestock Grazing _____________________________________________ 17 3.3.6Agriculture ____________________________________________________ 19 3.3.7Settlements inside and around the Protected Area_________________ 19 3.3.8Mining ________________________________________________________ 20 3.3.9Firewood Collection ___________________________________________ 21 3.3.10Concrete Dams and Reservoirs _________________________________ 21 3.3.11Sunken Water Cisterns ________________________________________ 21 3.3.12Brick Storage Chambers _______________________________________ 21 3.4Management _________________________________________________ 22 3.4.1Second Tourism Development Project ___________________________ 22 3.4.2Key Outputs of the Project______________________________________ 22 3.4.3Physical infrastructure and equipment ___________________________ 26 3.5Environmental Information ____________________________________ 26 2 3.5.1Physical Information ___________________________________________ 26 3.5.1.1Climate ___________________________________________________ 26 3.5.1.2Hydrology _________________________________________________ 27 3.5.1.3Geomorphology ___________________________________________ 27 3.5.1.4Geology ___________________________________________________ 28 3.5.1.5Soil _______________________________________________________ 30 3.5.1.6Mineral Resources _________________________________________ 30 3.5.2Biological Information _________________________________________ 31 3.5.2.1Bio-geographical Regions and habitats ______________________ 31 3.5.2.2Vegetation Types __________________________________________ 31 3.5.2.2.1Sand Dune Vegetation Type covering: 76.32%. of the total area __________________________________________________________ 31 3.5.2.2.2Acacia and Rocky Sudanian Vegetation Type: covering %3.15of the total area _________________________________________ 31 3.5.2.2.3Hammada Vegetation Type: covering 3.15% of the total area. __________________________________________________________ 31 3.5.2.3Vegetation Communities ___________________________________ 32 3.5.2.4Flora ______________________________________________________ 33 3.5.2.5Fauna _____________________________________________________ 34 3.5.2.5.1Mammals ____________________________________________ 34 3.5.2.5.2Birds _________________________________________________ 35 3.5.2.5.3Reptiles ______________________________________________ 36 3.5.2.5.4Invertebrates _________________________________________ 37 3.6Cultural Information __________________________________________ 37 3.6.1Bedouin communities __________________________________________ 37 3.6.2Archaeology __________________________________________________ 38 3.7Ecological relationships _______________________________________ 40 3.7.1Anabasis Vegetation Community________________________________ 40 3.7.2Hammada Vegetation Community ______________________________ 41 3.7.3Haloxylon Vegetation Community ______________________________ 43 3.7.4Urginea Vegetation Community ________________________________ 44 3.7.5Mixed Vegetation community __________________________________ 44 3.7.6Mountains _____________________________________________________ 45 4SECTION (2): EVALUATION OF FEATURES ____________________ 49 4.1Size __________________________________________________________ 49 4.2Diversity _____________________________________________________ 50 4.3Naturalness __________________________________________________ 50 4.4Rarity _______________________________________________________ 51 4.5Fragility _____________________________________________________ 52 3 4.6Typicalness ___________________________________________________ 53 4.7Recorded History _____________________________________________ 54 4.8Position in an Ecological Unit __________________________________ 55 4.9Intrinsic Appeal/ Landscape ___________________________________ 55 4.10Public Access/Use ____________________________________________ 56 4.11Educational Use _____________________________________________ 57 4.12Interpretation and Awareness Raising _________________________ 58 4.13Research ____________________________________________________ 58 4.14Potential for Improvement of Ecological Values_________________ 59 4.15FACTORS INFLUENCING MANAGEMENT _________________ 59 4.15.1Problem Analysis for Wadi Rum Protected Area ________________ 60 4.15.2Local Community Participation ________________________________ 64 5SECTION (3): OBJECTIVES OUTPUTS AND ACTION PLAN _______ 68 5.1Principle objective: ___________________________________________ 68 5.2Operational objectives and outputs _____________________________ 68 5.2.1Tourism Development _________________________________________ 68 5.2.2Habitats Conservation __________________________________________ 68 5.2.3Species conservation ___________________________________________ 69 5.2.4Cultural Conservation __________________________________________ 69 5.2.5Awareness and Education ______________________________________ 69 5.2.6Community work and outreach _________________________________ 70 5.2.7Legal and institutional arrangements ____________________________ 71 5.2.8Buildings, vehicles and equipment ______________________________ 71 5.2.9Financial Sustainability ________________________________________ 72 5.3Action Plan ___________________________________________________ 73 6Annexes ____________________________________________________ 124 4 0B 1 INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE PLAN 1.1 T6B ime Period and Review This management plan extends for 5 years from January 2003 until December 2007. A review programme is included in the Action Plan and a full review should be undertaken during the final year. 1.2 Plan7B Format This management plan used the accepted international format for management plans, with some adjustments to accommodate special needs of Wadi Rum and to account for recent developments in site management. It consists of the following main sections: 1.2.1 SECTION34B (1): SITE DESCRIPTION This section clarifies the basic information of the Protected Area and documents its description according to the following categories: Physical Context • Location. • Access Points. • Map Coverage. • Aerial Photographic Coverage. • Photographic Coverage. Land Tenure and Status • Traditional Land Tenure • Past Status and Interest • Current Status • Other Designations Land Use • Tourism • Interpretation Use • Educational Use • Research Use • Livestock Grazing 5 • Agriculture • Settlement inside and around the Protected Area • Mining • Firewood Collection • Concrete Dams and Reservoirs • Sunken Water Cisterns • Brick Storage Chambers Management • Second Tourism Development Project Environmental Information • Physical Environment Climate Hydrology Geomorphology Geology Soil Mineral Resources • Biological Information Bio-geographical Regions and Habitats Vegetation Types Vegetation Communities Flora Fauna Cultural Information • Bedouin Communities • Archaeology Ecological Relationships 1.2.2 SECTION35B (2): EVALUATION OF FEATURES This section presents an assessment of the conservation values of the Wadi Rum Protected Area according to recognized international criteria as listed below: Size Diversity Naturalness Rarity Fragility 6 Typicalness Recorded History Position in an Ecological Unit Intrinsic Appeal/ Landscape Public Access/ Use Education Use Interpretation and Awareness Raising Research Potential for Improvement of Ecological Values. Factors Influencing Management Local Community participation 1.2.3 SECTION36B (3): OBJECTIVES OUTPUTS AND ACTION PLAN This section states the objective of the Protected Area and presents an action plan to meet these objectives. Principle Objective Operational Objectives Outputs Action Plan 7 2 List1B of Acronyms RSCN: Royal Society for