Life Replaces Once Dry Scrub in Jordan

Jordan

After overgrazing had reduced rangelands near Tell Ar-Rumman, Jordan, to bare land, in 2007, the new Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) fenced off an area to allow its recovery. The action incensed the local herders, who believed they had a right to graze their sheep and goats in the area. Resisting all efforts to fence off the area, they often cut open the fence and sneaked their herds in very early in the morning or late at night. In response, the RBG set up a dedicated Community-Based Rangeland Rehabilitation (CBRR) Program to find solutions of mutual benefit. The CBRR team held meetings with members of the herding community to foster cooperation and find agreement on a sustainable land management approach.

Local herders were offered forage in exchange for not grazing on the site, making it possible for RBG to conduct vegetation surveys and biomass estimates and determine sustainable stocking rates and grazing scenarios. In addition, the CBRR Program provided the herding community with training on better health management, hygiene and herd management techniques, and facilitated access to veterinary care.

After training, the CBRR team allowed the herders to resume grazing on the site at certain times and under specific conditions. This managedgrazing arrangement has yielded positive results for both the land and the livestock owners, and can be replicated in small degraded rangeland areas in other parts of the country.

Although only five local herding families cooperated fully with the CBRR Program in the first year, by 2012, some 38 families were participating. The benefits quickly became evident to the early joiners and, by 2009, livestock owners who once grazed the site to bare soil were policing themselves and teaching others.

Focusing on animal health also resulted in increased incomes. For instance, one herder’s income rose from US$8,200 in 2007 to over US$20,000 annually. Another herder with a smaller flock began with a net loss of US$496 a year, but now earns over US$6,300 per year. Today, over 400 people benefit directly from the CBRR Program, and a total of around 1,500 individuals have benefitted indirectly. Approximately 200 hectares of land have been rehabilitated.

Biomass increased by 30 percent from 2008 to 2009, by another 30 percent from 2009 to 2010, and 10 percent per year in subsequent years. Some plant species that disappeared from the region years ago have now spontaneously reappeared. The plant species recorded during RBG plant surveys increased from 436 in 2006 to 580 in 2011.

Given the interest shown by associations, NGOs and government agencies, the CBRR Program is planning to share and transfer its expertise to other herding communities, such as the Bedouin communities in the 500 hectare Badia area. With a little financial help, the local communities’ vision can be realized.

Web site: http://www.royalbotanicgarden.org