CROSSING THE JORDAN

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CROSSING THE JORDAN

• EcoPeace /
• Friends of the Earth
• Middle East
• Regional campaign to
• raise awareness of the
• need to rehabilitate the
• Lower Jordan River Valley

2
Introduction

• Located in the Great Rift Valley, linking Africa
  the Fertile Crescent
• Flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea,
  200 km meandering river
• Both sides of the Valley contain natural and
  cultural sites

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Water Sources

• Main water source is from rain and snow of Mt.
  Hermon / Jabal Sheikh
• 3 large springs Hasbani, Banias, Dan once
  supplied 600-650 mcm annually
• Southeast of the Sea of Galilee, the largest
  tributary, the Yarmouk River, flows into the
  Jordan once supplied 400-450 mcm
• Terminates at the Dead Sea received a total of
  1.3 billion cm annually, with the difference
  being the side wadi flows

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Natural Highlights

• Lowest River in the World
• Important wetland habitat with diverse vegetation
• Flyway for over 500 million birds migrating twice
  a year

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Cultural Highlights

• Pathway of human migration out of Africa
• 1st cultivation of wheat found in the valley - in
  Gilgal
• Great Roman cities Crusader castles built in
  the valley

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Cultural Highlights contd

• Religious importance
• Mt. Nebo is believed to be where Moses looked out
  onto the Promised Land
• Jesus is believed to have been baptized in the
  Jordan River
• Companions of the prophet Mohammed are buried
  along its banks

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Natural Habitat

• Ecological and zoogeographic junction of 3
  continents Asia, Africa Europe
• This unique geographical location has created a
  mixture of diverse habitats
• Acacia tree African tree northern most place
  in the world to be found at Dead Sea

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Challenges Facing the River

• Excessive water diversion and dam building

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Challenges Facing the River-2

• SEWAGE and saline water directly discharged into
  the river
• Ironically, this is what is keeping the river
  alive in the summer months

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Challenges Facing the River-3

• No cooperative mechanisms in place promoting
  sustainable development
• Patchwork of nature reserves and national parks
  no network to emphasize the unified natural
  cultural heritage or to connect cultural sites

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Challenges Facing the River - 4

• Military zone has closed the river to the people.
• Ironically, this has protected the natural
  habitat from destructive development.
• BUT the closed military zone has allowed
  governments to use the Jordan as its dumping
  ground with no public outcry

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Beginnings of Acknowledgement

• Israel / Jordan Peace Treaty - Annex IV calls
  for the ecological rehabilitation of the Jordan
  River
• (Unfortunately though, almost nothing has been
  done to date)

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What is Needed?

• Public awareness,
• media attention,
• political will and
• international assistance
• Adoption of UNESCO or other mechanisms that would
  insure a comprehensive, joint ACTION PLAN for the
  rehabilitation of the river

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FoEMEs Recent Actions - 1

• FoEME held an international conference on the
  Peace Island to raise the awareness of the
  state of the Lower Jordan River
• Guest speakers Prince Hassan, UNESCO and UNEP
  deputies

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FoEMEs Recent Actions - 2

• Convened a joint Israeli / Palestinian /
  Jordanian mayors first- time ever meeting
• Discussed / proposed joint projects
• Many bilateral mayors meetings resulting in MoUs
  being signed

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FoEMEs Recent Actions - 3

• BIG JUMP!
• Earth Day kayaking event
• Mayors from Israel, Jordan and Palestine in
  the Jordan River only TOGETHER can we save the
  situation

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FoEMEs Recent Actions - 4

• The Jordan River received support from U.S.
  Congressmen expressing their concern for the
  state of the River with letters sent to
• King of Jordan
• P.M. of Israel
• Chairman of the P.A.

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FoEMEs Recent Actions - 5

• Mayors and municipal representatives took part in
  a 5-day comprehensive tour around the entire
  Jordan River Valley

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FoEME Proposes - 1

• CULTURAL HERITAGE to emphasize the crossing of
  the Jordan by its cultural heritage links
• We can see cultural heritage sites that
  crisscross the area all through history

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FoEME Proposes - 2

• NATURAL HERITAGE
• to build on the current proposed natural sites
• We can already see two major trans-boundary
  core areas in the north and the south

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Further Recommendations

• The ACTION PLAN for the North and South areas
  would first have the following objectives
• Ecological Rehabilitation
• Eco-Tourism
• Cultural Sites
• Sustainable Agriculture

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THANK YOU!

• EcoPeace
• Friends of the Earth Middle East
• www.foeme.org
• info_at_foeme.org