Azraq Wetland Reserve Restoration (Jordan)
Since 1994, Jordan's Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature has been restoring the Azraq wetland in the eastern desert (RSCN).
Image: Mohammad hajeer via Wikimedia Commons (Azraq Wetland Reserve, CC BY-SA 4.0).
Last reviewed: 2 sources cited
A desert oasis that nearly vanished is getting its water, fish and birds back.
Over-pumping shrank the Azraq oasis to just 0.04% of the area it once covered (RSCN, via Ramsar World Wetlands Day).
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
Explain Like I'm 10
- Azraq is an oasis, a wet place in the middle of a desert in Jordan.
- People pumped out so much water that it almost dried up.
- Conservationists brought water back to pools and returned a tiny fish found nowhere else.
The Five W's of the Azraq restoration
Who
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), with French support (FFEM and AFD).
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
What
Restoring the wetland and its pools, removing alien species and reintroducing the Azraq killifish.
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
When
Restoration began in 1994; about 650 killifish were reintroduced in December 2020.
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
Where
The Azraq Oasis, between limestone and basalt deserts in eastern Jordan.
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
Why
By 1992 the main springs had dried and the water table had fallen 12 metres below ground.
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
Connected Solutions
- Okavango Delta A river that ends in the desert.
Impact Statement
Nonprofit solution · active
An oasis cut to 0.04% of its size is alive again. Restored pools now hold the endemic Azraq killifish, and migratory birds have come back (RSCN).
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
The Azraq killifish (Aphanius sirhani) lives only in this oasis (RSCN).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
The reserve is now a source of income for around 60 local families (RSCN).
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
For Nature
Kingfishers now visit the restored pools to feed on the killifish (RSCN).
Source: World Wetlands Day (Ramsar), Restoration of the Azraq Wetland, Jordan (May 2021)
Support Azraq
RSCN protects Jordan's nature reserves, including Azraq.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
More solutions like this one, matched by meaning.
Help This Work
Links go straight to the organization. Saving Planets doesn't receive any of the money.