Dana Nature Reserve covers 320 sq km of wadis and mountains that extend from the top of the Rift Valley down to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba in Jordan. Dana is located in the southern district of Tafila, about 200 km south of Amman.

The protected area was established in 1993. With its diverse landscapes, ranging from wooded highlands and rocky slopes to gravel plains and sand dunes it is a true haven for wildlife and plants.

A total of 45 mammal species are found in the Reserve, wolf, leopard which is otherwise extinct in Jordan, caracal, wild cat, a variety of fox, hyena, Nubian Ibex and Dorcas Gazelle. More than 200 species of birds and 555 species of vascular plants were recorded in Dana in the first baseline in 1994. There are two recorded species of amphibians, the Tree Frog and the Green Toad, and 36 species of reptiles

Of Dana’s wildlife, 25 plant and animal species are globally threatened.

The survival of nature reserves is often entwined with the economic survival of populations nearby. Led by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) and a group called “Friends of Dana”, the village of Dana and the Nature Reserve are brought together in a working model of sustainable development: the protected area attracts tourism, which creates opportunity for the villagers to earn a livelihood. At Dana, fruit growing on neglected trees around the village were turned into dried health foods and medicinal herbs were introduced as a cash crop on the terraced hillsides, and a jewelry making initiative was established. RSCN has asserted that these and other initiatives have brought increasing jobs and income to the local communities, and that the communities have come to rely on the presence of the reserve for their success.

Palestine sunbird at Dana

Reference: http://www.rscn.org.jo/