Contacts: In Washington: Dina El Naggar (202) 473-3245 Delnaggar@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, June 12- The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved today a Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund grant of US$ 6.15 million, to support the Jordanian government’s efforts in ecosystem management. “The GEF project aims to ensure that biodiversity and ecological processes in the Jordan Rift Valley can be sustained under development pressure and social change,” said Kanta Kumari Rigaud, Task Team Leader of the project. The Jordan Rift Valley is an integral part of the Great Rift Valley and provides a globally critical land bridge between Africa, Europe, and Asia that supports a large variety of ecologically diverse habitats of international importance and funnels millions of migrating birds between these continents each year. In recent years, the Valley has developed as a focal area for infrastructure, tourism development and land conversion, all of which impact its unique ecological and cultural values. The project’s objective is to apply the principles of integrated ecosystem management to the existing land use master plan of the Jordan Rift Valley and establish a network of well managed protected areas that meets local ecological, social and economic needs. Project implementation will rely on consultative planning and management involving all relevant stakeholders. To support biodiversity conservation, the project will establish a network of protected areas while supporting the design of sustainable financing mechanisms through increased capitalization of $ 2 million for the endowment fund, and adoption of economically viable, nature-based livelihood options by local communities in these areas. Project management and implementation will be undertaken by the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN).
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