Throughout the centuries, it has been an area of transit for traders. There are more than 4000 scattered inscriptions on the rocks, many of them dating from the paleolithic period.
Last century, this desert was the stomping ground of the English colonel T.E. Lawrence, most famously known as Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence recorded his impressions in a book The seven Pillars of Wisdom, a name attributed to a mountain with several pinnacles at the entrance of the Wadi Rum reserve.
Wadi Rum is the territory of the Bedouin. This group has strong traditions, which have stayed intact. Their traditions have been largely untouched by modern ways, despite compulsory schooling for their children and contact with the western world.
Due to its unique topography and natural attraction, the government of Jordan declared Wadi Rum a protected area in 1997. The area faces many conservation problems, deriving mainly from a large tourist presence. Last year 100,000 tourists visited the area. They have a negative impact on the vegetation of the desert.
Damaging environmental practices by local people, such as illegal hunting and grassing, worsen the problem.
To overcome the negative impact of desert tourism and to promote awareness amongst local people about the protection of natural resources, the Global Environment Fund Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), provided a grant for the implementation of a project called the Wadi Rum Community Eco-tourism Project in 2001. This SGP totals US$ 28,000.
This grant aims to enhance the institutional capacity of a local Bedouin Cooperative (formed in 1997) as well as the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) to manage tourism activities and to protect natural resources. The project will enhance the Bedouin Cooperative's capacity as a tourism service provider and strengthen its management system at a professional level. The GEF SGP, in collaboration with the national Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, will help the cooperative to establish an effective partnership between all institutional players in the area and to implement a revolving fund scheme.
Throughout the centuries, it has been an area of transit for traders. There are more than 4000 scattered inscriptions on the rocks, many of them dating from the paleolithic period.
Last century, this desert was the stomping ground of the English colonel T.E. Lawrence, most famously known as Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence recorded his impressions in a book The seven Pillars of Wisdom, a name attributed to a mountain with several pinnacles at the entrance of the Wadi Rum reserve.
Wadi Rum is the territory of the Bedouin. This group has strong traditions, which have stayed intact. Their traditions have been largely untouched by modern ways, despite compulsory schooling for their children and contact with the western world.
Due to its unique topography and natural attraction, the government of Jordan declared Wadi Rum a protected area in 1997. The area faces many conservation problems, deriving mainly from a large tourist presence. Last year 100,000 tourists visited the area. They have a negative impact on the vegetation of the desert.
Damaging environmental practices by local people, such as illegal hunting and grassing, worsen the problem.
To overcome the negative impact of desert tourism and to promote awareness amongst local people about the protection of natural resources, the Global Environment Fund Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), provided a grant for the implementation of a project called the Wadi Rum Community Eco-tourism Project in 2001. This SGP totals US$ 28,000.
This grant aims to enhance the institutional capacity of a local Bedouin Cooperative (formed in 1997) as well as the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) to manage tourism activities and to protect natural resources. The project will enhance the Bedouin Cooperative's capacity as a tourism service provider and strengthen its management system at a professional level. The GEF SGP, in collaboration with the national Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, will help the cooperative to establish an effective partnership between all institutional players in the area and to implement a revolving fund scheme.
Munir Al adgham, SGP National Coordinator
'It has been a long process of four years to implement this Project. We realized about the importance of preserving this place when this reserve was established in 1997. Since then we are working towards including the indigenous people in conservation initiatives.
In Wadi Rum, we have formed a partnership with the Real Society for Conservation and a local authority that manages Wadi Rum. We are very proud to be the first in having a community project with Jordanian bedouins, no-one else has been able to work with them.'
Mohammad Yousef, Cooperative member
'We realized about the importance in preserving this place when this reserve was established in 1997. At that time there was huge numbers of tourists. People started to understand the advantages of this human flow, but also its disadvantages for the environment.
In Wadi Rum, the main problem is soil destruction due to the extensive use of truck wheels used to transport tourists. Also there are some highly damaging environmental practices such as uncontrolled grassing and fires. The tourists come here and rent jeeps and trucks that are not properly equipped to prevent damaging the vegetation. Also there are practically no fixed tracks to visit the interesting places. This is the desert and drivers go everywhere.
Our cooperative, with the support of the SGP, is considering alternatives for tourists, such as a defined area for the exclusive use of camels and so banning vehicles. To complement this initiative, we plan to change the wheel type of our vehicles.'
Salem Matlak, Cooperative member
'We knew that we must use special wheels for our vehicles but people don't have money to introduce the changes required. We were so happy when we knew that this project would start here.
We will implement a revolving fund that will allow us to change the wheels and other gear parts in order to protect the desert carpet. More importantly, our Cooperative will receive support in order to be better organized. We want to set up mechanisms to allow all our people to participate in the benefits of tourism on a fair and equal basis.