IUCN Regional Office for West Asia

14/06/2026

How can lessons from China's sponge cities help inform Nature-based Solutions in the drylands of the MENA region?

This question was among the key discussions explored during the 2nd Nature-based Solutions Summer School in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, where IUCN ROWA joined experts, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners from around the world.

The programme showcased innovative approaches to ecosystem restoration, urban resilience, sustainable finance, and environmental monitoring, while providing an opportunity to share experiences from the MENA region, including ecosystem restoration, traditional water harvesting techniques, and community-led approaches in arid landscapes.

The exchange highlighted the importance of adapting Nature-based Solutions to local contexts while learning from experiences across regions. While ecosystems may differ, working with nature remains central to addressing climate, biodiversity, and development challenges.

11/06/2026

We were honoured to welcome H.E the Canadian Ambassador Mr. Louis-Martin Aumais for a field visit to three of the Taziz Project intervention locations in Shoubak and Petra. Funded by Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by IUCN ROWA, this project reflects a collaborative partnership dedicated to enhancing climate resilience for biodiversity hotspots in Jordan.

By joining forces, GAC and IUCN ROWA are working alongside national partners to build climate resilience while empowering the communities who call these landscapes home. The field visit included highlighting the following project interventions:

🌲 Restoring Ecosystems: Rehabilitation of the Shoubak Nursery to propagate native forest species including juniper. A visit to Aseelah Nursery, which is now operated by local women and aims to focus on the production of native aromatic and medicinal herbs.
👥 Community engagement: Engaging over 1000 local agriculture initiators, putting women and youth at the heart of climate and biodiversity conservation action.
🦅 Safeguarding Biodiversity: Enhancing the resilience of Jordan’s protected areas network, through a comprehensive review and connectivity analysis.

A huge thank you to the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, and Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority. Together with Canada and IUCN, we are planting the seeds for a more resilient future. 🌲✨

وزارة الزراعة الاردنية
الصفحة الرئيسية /مديرية زراعة الشوبك
Embassy of Canada to Jordan

10/06/2026

At the 8th GEF Assembly in Samarkand, IUCN ROWA continued to strengthen partnerships with countries in the region for nature, climate, and people.

Dr. Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General, held bilateral meetings with H.E. Dr. Aiman A. Soleiman, Minister of Environment of Jordan, and H.E. Dr. Tamara El-Zein, Minister of Environment of Lebanon. The discussions highlighted strong opportunities to advance integrated approaches to addressing the global environmental crises, building on IUCN’s comparative advantages in Nature-based Solutions, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.

During the Assembly, the IUCN GEF Team also engaged with country representatives from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen through dedicated meetings focused on strategic alignment with the ninth replenishment cycle of the Global Environment Facility. Discussions centred on how Nature-based Solutions can contribute to tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

On 3 June, the IUCN-led GEF side event, “The Dryland Dividend: Unlocking Finance and Synergies across the Rio Conventions for Sustainable Drylands,” brought together Ministers from Jordan and Mongolia, alongside speakers from the CBD Secretariat, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Asian Development Bank, to discuss how sustainable dryland management and proactive drought risk management can deliver benefits across the Rio Conventions by advancing land restoration, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and food security.

The Assembly also marked an important milestone for IUCN’s growing GEF portfolio. Nearly USD 23 million in GEF funding was approved for new IUCN-implemented projects across regions, supporting efforts to reverse forest and land degradation, restore freshwater and coastal ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience, and protect biodiversity. IUCN’s GEF portfolio has now grown to 73 projects, valued at USD 367 million.

For more information on partnering with IUCN under the GEF, please contact: [email protected]

Global Environment Facility

10/06/2026

🌍 New report from IUCN ROWA and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation explores how ecological connectivity can strengthen Jordan’s protected areas network and support climate resilience.

📖 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gy3N_h9J


Embassy of Canada to Jordan
Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada
وزارة البيئة الأردنية - Ministry of Environment

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

🌍 Nature in West Asia is gaining global recognition.

Ahead of the 2026 UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting, IUCN has recommended several natural sites for World Heritage recognition and expansion, including Jordan’s Aqaba Marine Reserve, a globally significant ecosystem at the northern tip of the Red Sea.

Home to thermally resilient coral reefs, over 500 fish species, and remarkable marine biodiversity, Aqaba Marine Reserve demonstrates the importance of protecting ecosystems that can help us better understand and respond to climate change.

IUCN also evaluated nominations where it recommends that further action is needed before World Heritage inscription can be considered. These include Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Gulf of Aqaba; Wadi Wurayah in the United Arab Emirates.

Read more:
https://iucn.org/press-release/202606/climate-resilient-reefs-ancient-fish-fossils-and-vast-wetlands-iucn-supports



Aqaba Marine Reserve محمية العقبة البحرية
UNESCO
IUCN
سلطة منطقة العقبة الاقتصادية الخاصة - الصفحة الرسمية

08/06/2026

🌊 Our oceans sustain life, regulate our climate, and support communities across the globe. Yet marine ecosystems are facing increasing pressures from pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change.

This World Oceans Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to protecting and restoring the ocean for people and nature.

07/06/2026

From 17 to 21 May 2026, IUCN's Regional Office for West Asia completed a five days specialised technical training on coral reef monitoring, for the technical teams working in Aqaba's coral reef monitoring programme. The training curriculum was developed in consultation with KAUST Beacon Development, based on a systematic assessment of the existing programme to identify technical gaps.

The programme covered a complete skills cycle including benthic habitat classification and field survey methods, coral demographic measurements, image analysis through CoralNet, reef rehabilitation, restoration and translocation techniques, and ecological data analysis using R, RStudio, NOAA SST, and QGIS. This training represents a significant step towards meeting the IUCN Green List recommendations for Aqaba Marine Reserve, particularly with regard to strengthening monitoring programmes and establishing ecological baselines. By equipping monitoring teams with advanced technical skills, Aqaba Marine Reserve demonstrates its commitment to the management standards required by the IUCN Green List certification.

The training was implemented in collaboration with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, hosted by Aqaba Marine Reserve محمية العقبة البحرية, and funded by UNDP Jordan through the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, within the Gulf of Aqaba Resilient Reefs Programme.

أتمّ الاتحاد الدولي لحماية الطبيعة – المكتب الإقليمي لغرب آسيا من 17 الى 21 مايو 2026 تدريباً تقنياً متخصصاً مدته خمسة أيام في مراقبة الشعاب المرجانية، موجَّهاً للكوادر التقنية العاملة في برنامج مراقبة الشعاب المرجانية بالعقبة. حيث تم تطوير المنهج التدريبي بالتشاور مع شركة المنارة للتطوير في جامعة الملك عبد الله للعلوم والتقنیة (كاوست)، بناءً على تقييم منهجي للبرنامج القائم لرصد الفجوات التقنية. وقد غطّى البرنامج دورةً متكاملة من المهارات شملت تصنيف الموائل القاعية وأساليب المسح الميداني، وقياسات التركيب الديموغرافي للشعاب المرجانية.

ويمثّل هذا التدريب خطوة مهمة نحو تلبية توصيات القائمة الخضراء للاتحاد الدولي لحماية الطبيعة لمحمية العقبة البحرية، ولا سيما فيما يتعلق بتعزيز برامج المراقبة وبناء خط الأساس البيئي. ومن خلال تزويد كوادر المراقبة بمهارات تقنية متقدمة، تُجسّد محمية العقبة البحرية التزامها بمعايير الإدارة التي تستوجبها شهادة القائمة الخضراء.

نُفِّذ هذا التدريب بالتعاون مع سلطة منطقة العقبة الاقتصادية الخاصة - الصفحة الرسمية، وباستضافة من محمية العقبة البحرية، وبتمويل من برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي في الأردن عبر الصندوق العالمي للشعاب المرجانية، ضمن إطار برنامج الشعاب المرجانية المرنة لخليج العقبة.

07/06/2026

🌱 Food safety depends on more than what happens on our plates; it begins with the health of our ecosystems.

This World Food Safety Day, let's recognize the role of nature in sustaining safe and healthy food systems.