- The Red List of Native Plants in Jordan issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – the Red List of Threatened Species is a comprehensive inventory for assessing the risk of extinction of Jordanian plants. Two volumes of this book have been published, covering 72% of Jordanian plant species. The third volume in this series will be published in 2021 and will assess the remaining endangered plant species in Jordan.
- Plants of Jordan: An Annotated Checklist – This book is a comprehensive list of vascular plants known in Jordan. It covers 112 families and 2,531 species (including ferns and gymnosperms) recorded in Jordan and is considered the primary reference for native plants in the country.
Scientific Research and Studies
- Habitat Restoration – Research is being conducted to find the best solutions for restoring degraded natural habitats in Jordan. Some habitats that have been extensively studied for restoration include oak habitat, pine habitat, and freshwater riverbank habitat.
- Traditional Knowledge – This study examined and documented the traditional and local knowledge of communities in Jordan regarding animal production, the use of medicinal plants, and rangeland management, and studied how this knowledge has changed over time. The research and its results have been published in international scientific journals.
- Modeling the Current and Potential Distribution of Vegetation – A species-based approach to support restoration and conservation programs in Jordan.
In this study, remote sensing technology will be used to develop vegetation classification, map vegetation cover using remotely sensed imagery, and community-based survey data from sites in Jordan.
Meanwhile, this study provides a method for restoring landscapes by applying Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) to predict the plant species that may occur in degraded landscapes.
Therefore, this work will aim to determine the type and quantity of plant species using satellite imagery, field data, or expert data, generate habitat maps, and then identify potential areas for habitat restoration and enhance conservation programs in Jordan.
Expected impacts of climate change on ecosystems in Jordan – These impacts have been studied in terms of: climate exposure, ecosystem sensitivity, drought, forest dieback, changes in community composition, expansion of drier biomes into marginal lands, habitat degradation, and species loss.
The study aims to model the current and predict the future potential distribution of plant species in response to expected habitat changes, including climate change sensitivity, and then use this information to support environmental restoration and conservation programs in Jordan and elsewhere.
- Inventory of Traditional Knowledge Related to the Nagoya Protocol – In this project study, RBG created an inventory of traditional knowledge related to biological resources by exploring and documenting the current knowledge, skills, and practices of Jordanian local communities related to biological resources.