Jordan enjoys a relatively large biodiversity compared to its geographical area, which is attributed to its central location among three major continents (Asia, Europe, and Africa). This characteristic has enabled the region to encompass four vital geographical regions: the Mediterranean region, the Arabian Desert region, the Sudanese region, and the Iranian-Turanian region. The difference in these geographical bioregions has led to the presence of a large number of animal and plant species from diverse origins. Additionally, Jordan is considered part of the Fertile Crescent, which is home to many plant genetic progenitors.
Most of the threats facing ecosystems in Jordan arise from factors related to human and developmental activities, especially since the beginning of the last century. These threats include land degradation, urban sprawl, investment directed toward biodiversity-rich areas, overgrazing, deforestation, poaching, and wildfires. Climate change and the succession of drought years are also challenges affecting the integrity, vitality, and efficiency of ecosystems, as well as the services and products they provide for humans and animals.
In recognition of its national responsibilities toward ecosystems, the garden has established a dedicated department for land revival, focusing on environmental habitat restoration activities throughout Jordan. This effort complements its other departments that specialize in preserving and documenting native Jordanian plants. The garden aims to restore ecosystems to their natural, balanced state as much as possible or to mitigate their degradation.
The garden adopts a comprehensive approach to environmental restoration, focusing on a deep understanding of environmental and climatic conditions, the socio-economic reality of the local community, and the legal status of the targeted landscapes. This includes studying biological and physical elements and using native plants in environmental restoration and ecosystem rehabilitation processes to ensure the preservation of biomass, its geographical connectivity, and its consistency with natural biotic systems. The garden also emphasizes working with the local community to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources while respecting their utmost interests, including their developmental and economic needs and full respect for their human rights and traditional rights to possess and use land and derive benefits from it. Additionally, the garden strives to develop communication mechanisms as part of a fair governance system to facilitate the exchange of information and perspectives.
In the context of environmental restoration, the garden contributes to supporting national commitments related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the goals of land degradation neutrality under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and national biodiversity strategies and action plans under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), along with other strategies focused on restoring natural landscapes and nature-based solutions, and voluntary schemes to reduce carbon emissions, including the New York Declaration on Forests, the Bonn Challenge, and the Kew Declaration.
The garden includes numerous national experts specializing in implementing ecosystem restoration activities and their services across multiple fields. This department will be supported by a group of experts in water, soil, geographical information systems, and others to work within an integrated, holistic approach to support both official and unofficial national efforts in restoring ecosystems and their services and to facilitate information exchange.