Azraq, June 29 (Petra) -- A scientific study conducted by a team from the Azraq Wetland Reserve, affiliated with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), has documented a significant recovery in natural vegetation cover across the Azraq Valley less than a decade after the area was incorporated into the reserve and placed under environmental protection and management measures.
According to the RSCN, the study, prepared by reserve Director Hazem Harisha and environmental researcher Tamer Aqili, analyzed satellite imagery using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and remote sensing techniques to compare vegetation cover between 2015 and 2025.
The findings showed that vegetation cover expanded from 2.30 square kilometers (2,300 dunams) in 2015 to 14.83 square kilometers (14,830 dunams) in 2025, an increase of 12.53 square kilometers (12,530 dunams), or 54.5%. The expansion coincided with a decline in arid land, reflecting the transformation of extensive barren areas into natural vegetation as a result of environmental protection and management measures.
The RSCN said the study also recorded a substantial increase in scattered vegetation, shrubs, and grasslands, indicating widespread natural regeneration and a marked improvement in the Azraq Basin ecosystem. The recovery has enhanced habitats for migratory and resident birds and other wildlife while helping mitigate desertification, stabilize soil, and increase the area's environmental and tourism value.
Harisha said the findings reflect years of fieldwork and the dedication of protection and management teams, noting that the progress achieved in the Azraq Valley demonstrates the success of the RSCN's science-based approach to protected area management.
He said the sharp increase in vegetation cover confirms that protection measures, coupled with efforts to curb overgrazing and encroachments, have played a decisive role in restoring the ecosystem. "This is an achievement we are proud of and consider a national model that can be applied to ecosystem restoration projects across Jordan," he said.
Harisha added that the reserve will continue implementing environmental monitoring programs using advanced technologies while expanding protection and habitat restoration initiatives to ensure the sustainability of the ecological recovery and preserve biodiversity.
Aqili said the study provides clear scientific evidence that investment in protecting natural habitats delivers measurable environmental benefits. "Remote sensing technologies and satellite imagery have demonstrated that the Azraq Valley is experiencing genuine environmental recovery, confirming that scientific management and continuous protection can successfully restore desert ecosystems," he said.
He added that the study serves as an important scientific reference for monitoring future environmental changes and provides quantitative indicators to support decision-making on protected area management and desertification control.
The study recommended maintaining protection and inspection programs, enhancing environmental monitoring methods, conducting a grazing capacity assessment in the al-Qa'a area, monitoring plant diversity and invasive species, and documenting the Azraq Basin experience as a successful national model for restoring arid ecosystems and combating desertification.
According to the RSCN, the research is among the first local studies to document, through scientific evidence and quantitative data, the impact of environmental protection on restoring vegetation cover in Jordan's desert environments, further reinforcing the Azraq Wetland Reserve's role as a leading model for effective protected area management and biodiversity conservation.
//Petra// AJ
