Cairo, Oct. 1 (Petra) – Minister of Environment Aiman Suleiman said
rangeland sustainability is “vital” for achieving regional food and
water security, soil protection, and community resilience.

The minister’s call came during the Council of Arab Ministers
Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) 37th session at the Arab
League headquarters on Thursday.

The session examined regional threats such as drought, climate
change, land degradation, and overgrazing.

As for Jordan, an arid to semi-arid country dominated by desert land,
Suleiman said the Kingdom faces “severe water scarcity and recurring
droughts,” making rangeland management a national priority across
government ministries, academic institutions, and local communities.

Jordan is “actively” targeting land degradation neutrality by 2030,
aligning its efforts with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework, according to the minister.

He noted that the Jordanian experience combines technical and
scientific measures with community-led initiatives and steps to
harness traditional knowledge and practices.

He highlighted various national programs and projects aimed at
rehabilitating terrestrial ecosystems in the Kingdom’s Badia and
protecting rangelands, water resources, and wildlife, alongside
initiatives to combat desertification and rehabilitate degraded
areas.

Drawing attention to the national afforestation plan, he said this
scheme targets planting 10 million trees and fosters partnerships
with the private sector and civil society organizations.

He also cited efforts to expand rainwater harvesting, adopt modern
irrigation techniques, and reuse treated wastewater to adapt to water
scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions.

As for other primary initiatives, he said Jordan seeks to boost
regional collaboration by partnering with Egypt on the Healthy
Ecosystems for Rangeland Development project to boost joint
environmental protection.

Looking ahead to the UN-declared International Year of Rangelands and
Pastoralists in 2026, Suleiman proposed four pillars for Arab
cooperation: sustainable grazing management, empowering local
communities and youth, deploying remote sensing and spatial data to
monitor soil health, and securing climate finance to scale pilot
projects into regional strategies.

//Petra// HA