Participation in the Fifth Regional Forum for the Management of Natural Reserves

Participation in the Fifth Regional Forum for the Management of Natural Reserves
8 November 2021

A Palestinian delegation participated in the activities of the Fifth Regional Forum for the Management of Nature Reserves, held in Jordan, organized by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature –RSCN-, over a period of two weeks, with the participation of those interested in the environmental field and natural reserves from Arab countries.

The Palestinian delegation included the participation of Mr. Saed Shomaly the Executive Director of the Palestinian Society for Environment and Sustainable Development and his team and the project manager of Mahmiyat Project Ms. Ikram Quttaineh from Hanns Seidel Foundation in Jerusalem.

During the forum's activities, the participants presented an image of the reality of Palestinian reserves through some studies and scientific research carried out in Palestine with the support of HSS. They reviewed the efforts made by Mahmiyat.ps project in supporting eco-tourism and in promoting awareness and culture of the importance of nature reserves in Palestine, considering the forum an Arab opportunity to exchange experiences and experiences in managing the reserves, and the ability to support the Resident Representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation in Jerusalem, Ms. Julia Obermeier, to raise the capabilities of the working staff.

Ikram talked about the recently launch guidebook (Palestine, a colored mosaic - a guide for trails), and the information contained in the book, which reflects the nature of Palestine, emphasizing the importance of highlighting environmental information with scientific and accurate references.

In his turn, Shomaly spoke about the efforts that the Palestinian Society seeks to achieve in the field of sustainable development and the environment, reviewing the most prominent local projects that have been achieved in the field of environmental awareness, environmental studies and ecotourism with the support of Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The gook was presented as a symbolic gift to the Secretary-General of the Jordanian Ministry of Environment, Dr. Muhammad Al-Khashanah, and Dr. Samir Bandak, member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, and Dr. Nashat Humaidan, director of the Society's Biodiversity Monitoring Center. They expressed their pride in such achievements of books that constitute scientific, cultural and environmental value and remain an Arab reference on natural reserves and other natural trails that constitute important destinations for tourists.

It is noteworthy that the forum's activities included tours of the various nature reserves in Jordan, to get acquainted closely with the standards for managing these reserves, and to see the daily work of managing these reserves, and open dialogue sessions with partners from the institution working in various fields, in addition to local communities, and training participants on field work. .

The participants in the forum discussed some topics related to the management of protected areas, holistic planning of reserves, environmental monitoring in reserves, climate change, eco-tourism, economic development, environmental awareness, zoning of protected areas, protection and inspection of reserves, integrating local communities into nature protection programs, preliminary studies, monitoring and evaluation programs and their impact on guiding the management plan.