Wadi Rum Protected Area

The development of the management plan was a participatory process with the local communities involved in the development of the zoning and permitted activities (State Party of Jordan, 2018). The National Steering Committee established in 2022 focuses on institutionalizing national and local stakeholder involvement and collaboration in the planning, management, and monitoring of Wadi Rum Protected Area. It supports ASEZA in engaging with local communities and community-based organizations, such as the local tourism cooperatives, through the involvement of the national general cooperative institution. As a result, collaboration between ASEZA and key national and local stakeholders has taken a new governance approach through which collaboration will be ensured and maintained (State Party of Jordan, 2022). Recent initiatives have focused on engaging local communities, especially women and youth, in sustainable tourism and conservation efforts. Local community members and experts of Rum Village and Disi town were involved in preparing the 2025-2030 Integrated Management Plan, providing inputs to the plan and feedback on its drafts, with the objective to ensure the capture of traditional and indigenous knowledge of the local communities, and harness the accumulated knowledge and experience of the local management team (State Party of Jordan, 2024). Nevertheless, there has traditionally been poor cooperation with partners and stakeholders, and a lack of investment in financing local sustainable development programs (ASEZA, 2024). The WRPA stakeholder advisory committee needs to be reactivated by 2025 along with restructuring and activating the local tourism cooperative (ASEZA, 2024). Specific efforts are needed to institutionalize the WRPA advisory committee with scheduled meetings for consistent local engagement, broadening representation by involving women, youth, and tribal leaders in planning and decision-making, providing joint training on conservation to align local knowledge with IUCN Green List inclusivity criteria and strengthening feedback loops so community perspectives shape zoning, tourism, and enforcement strategies.

The legal and governance framework is strong, with traditional land tenure reportedly coexisting with legislative gazettal of the Protected Area. Traditional land tenure relates to grazing use, not ownership, but now extends to areas covered by licensed tour operators who operate only within their traditional tribal areas (IUCN, 2011). The property falls within the jurisdiction of Regulation No. 24 for the Development of the Wadi Rum Protected Area (2001) and the national Environmental Protection law of 2006 which aims to conserve the area while developing tourism. It prohibits construction except within Rum village, hunting, introducing alien species, off-track driving, mining, extraction, pollution, habitat destruction and woodcutting. The Regulation provides an outline of the composition and role of the Wadi Rum Area Committee, specifies itemized environmental management and visitor management plans and allows for the sustainable use of natural resources by local people. The traditional Bedouin ownership of the area is not seen to conflict with the legislation. Several legal deficiencies of the current by-law and legislative framework governing WRPA have been problematic, and are in need of revision and further development (Abulhawa et al, 2014). In 2019, Instructions for regulating camping, touristic activities and events within Wadi Rum Protected Area were issued pursuant to paragraph (a) of Article (12) of Wadi Rum Development Law No. (24) (State Party of Jordan, 2022). These regulations were further updated and currently being endorsed by ASEZA. The new IMP identified the need to update the 2001 bylaw as well as developing a special set of regulation for the buffer zone as priority actions for 2025-2026. This represents an important development in the legal framework to enhance the management effectiveness of the PA (Abulhawa, 2024). Engaging the local communities in legislative reviews, ensuring cultural and natural values are reflected while also including them in some adaptive clauses for quick legal responses to emerging threats like illegal camps or overdevelopment could ensure the legal framework is both responsive and inclusive minimizing resistance and ensuring collaborative enforcement.

WRPA is state owned and was established as a protected area in 1997 under the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) and management was transferred to ASEZA in 2003. A national committee headed by the Minister for the Environment was established in 2010 to oversee management. The property lies within the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZA) and was designated as a Special Regulations Area in perpetuity which is considered the strongest governance framework for a protected area in Jordan. The primary plan guiding the management and development program of WRPA is the ASEZA land use plan which covers the whole governorate of Aqaba (UNEP-WCMC, 2011). A national steering committee was established in 2022 under the auspices of the Royal Court and the direct supervision of the Prime Minister’s office, with the mandate to oversee, guide, and support the management of the site partly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in response to growing concerns over its state of conservation, especially in regard to tourism development and visitor management. The Committee includes a plethora of national and local institutions covering technical line ministries, local administration and law enforcement bodies, and community development organizations (State Party of Jordan, 2022). In 2024, ASEZA revived the Wai Rum management committee which marks a new start of improved participation of the stakeholders and local communities in the planning and management of the property and its buffer zone. More concerted efforts are still needed to actively engage all key stakeholder involved in the area, especially those related to tourism and recreational activities (Abulhawa, 2024). This is in addition to clarifying the roles of ASEZA, the National Steering Committee, and local authorities via a formal charter, adopting a decentralized model that empowers site-level staff with resource-backed mandates, strengthening accountability by setting measurable targets and reporting progress publicly. And finally exploring the possibility of coordinating with RSCN and other agencies to unify cultural and natural heritage management expertise.

Wadi Rum is recognized as part of Jordan’s national protected area network and as such is included in periodical national protected area reporting (e.g. CBD report no 4). The Protected Area was established in 1997 following cabinet decisions, and recognized as an archaeological site under a law of the Department of Antiquities (World Heritage Committee, 2011). The Jordanian government had originally delegated management of the majority of national protected areas to the NGO Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). However due to its location within the Aqaba Governorate, management authority for Wadi Rum sits with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), which raises questions about consistency of management as well as issues of capacity and an appropriate focus on natural and cultural heritage management. In fact, when interviewed, some local Bedouin posited that they preferred the management of RSCN due to their efforts to limit development and promote environmental protection (Haddad, 2023).The 2014 Reactive Monitoring mission noted a lack of coordination between departments and between regional and national institutions (UNESCO, ICOMOS and IUCN, 2014). Tourism planning in Jordan is acknowledged nationally as necessary for sustainable development (Omari, 2018).

The zoning scheme inside the Protected Area has been revised to allow for a larger resource-use zone while readjusting the protection zone to include important natural values (ASEZA, 2024). The newly enlarged Buffer Zone allows strategic use within its seven areas: a no-development Nature Zone limited to research and specialized visits, a low-development Aesthetic Zone limited to strict eco-tourism, a Low Development Access Zone reserved for special use, a low development Social Corridor regulated urban settlement zone, a Medium Development Zone limited to existing agricultural use, a Development Zone, a Medium Development Tourism Zone limited to non-consumptive eco-tourism.

The boundaries of the property include the key cultural and natural attributes and are well designed. Natural physical structures were used to define the boundaries of the Protected Area and boundaries are known amongst the local communities who were heavily involved in their final definition and delineation to ensure that no private lands or properties were included (ASEZA, 2019). A new buffer zone regulation has been developed, increasing the area by over 200% (1,341.3 km²). Final approval and submission to UNESCO are planned for early 2025 (State Party of Jordan, 2024).

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Six World Heritage Committee decisions have been issued for Wadi Rum: 45 COM 7B.102, 44COM 7B.74, 42COM 7B.67, 40COM 7B.65, 36COM 8B.65 and 35COM 8B.15. The State Party of Jordan generally addresses Committee recommendations in a timely and satisfactory manner, with the exception of the period during the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted management capacity. Regarding the most recent 45 COM 7B.102 recommendations, significant progress has been made updating the Status of the Buffer Zone Reconfiguration, significant progress has been made on the Heritage and Environmental Impact Assessment (HEIA) of tourism activities, significant progress has been made on the Integrated Management Plan 2025-2030, little progress has been made finding sanitation solutions for settlements in and around the property, and significant progress has been made on the Integrated Geographic Information System Database (State Party of Jordan, 2024).

USAID is exploring collaboration with ASEZA and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on strengthening the capacity of the Protected Area in addition to supporting them towards adopting green growth and sustainability (State Party of Jordan, 2022). Impacts of climate change will be assessed and a response plan will be adopted by 2025 with climate change adaptation initiatives implemented as a priority by 2026 (ASEZA, 2024). However, as no action has occurred yet, the effectiveness cannot be assessed yet and considering the recent halting of USAID funding those plans could prove challenging. Other donors who are still focused on those areas could provide the necessary support specifically in developing a climate adaptation plan, targeting drought management and extreme-weather responses, conducting vulnerability assessments for sensitive desert flora and fauna, informing habitat protection, testing nature-based solutions (e.g., reforestation, water harvesting) that also provide community benefits and incorporating climate indicators into monitoring protocols, triggering adaptive measures when needed.

The first management plan was developed for Wadi Rum in 2003 upon its establishment as a protected area for desert biodiversity and landscape objectives, and then was revised in 2008. In 2010, upon the decision to nominate the WRPA as a mixed World Heritage property, a complete revision was undertaken for the management plan including its baseline for geology, geomorphology, and cultural attributes; and the site changed from being managed as a pure biodiversity hotspot to a complex mixed site of global significance for desert landscapes and rock art. A second revision of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) was initiated in mid-2015, and until the adoption of the new management plan, an adaptive approach was used for the current management to include a systematic response to the core management priorities (State Party of Jordan, 2019).

In 2018, a complete revision process of the Wadi Rum Protected Area Management Plan was undertaken by ASEZA including the management zoning plan, the buffer zone configuration, and the revision of the tourism development strategy and visitors management plan (ASEZA, 2019).The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted management capacity, slowing progress on changes to legislative and institutional frameworks and the implementation of management activities (UNESCO, 2023). A national steering committee was established in 2022 to ensure the effective and sustainable management of the property, with a focus on tourism, and which is overseeing the update of the IMP (UNESCO, 2023). The 2025-2030 IMP was updated in collaboration with international and local experts. It integrates conservation strategies, zoning, tourism management, and climate adaptation, and was structured to address the complex interactions between the cultural, natural, socioeconomic, visitation, and use aspects. Final approval is anticipated by mid-2025 (State Party of Jordan, 2024). In 2024, the Government of Jordan represented by the ASEZA, under guidance and support from the Royal Hashemite Court (RHC), launched a strategic and comprehensive program with the objective to enhance the management effectiveness of the Wadi Rum Protected Area as a World Heritage property and prime National Protected Area. The reform program, titled “the Wadi Rum Conservation and Development Program”, aims to restructure management to adopt a decentralized model for managing the Rum Region based on the principles of empowering the site management team and the strict application of accountability measures under the principle of balanced authority-responsibility duality, with the ultimate goals being to protect and conserve Wadi Rum's global and national values, provide sustainable local development, and improve visitor experience (State Party of Jordan, 2024). Priority conservation initiatives will be implemented in 2025 (ASEZA, 2024).

The local rangers are supported by staff in ASEZA, who work closely with the local judicial system (IUCN, 2011), however an Effectiveness Report noted weak synchronization between national law and ASEZA regulation, as PA staff have no legal authority once outside the boundary of the PA.
Ranger patrols in the Protected Area carry out enforcement of regulations, but there is little information regarding ranger capacity or effectiveness of compliance (Abulhawa et al, 2014). The local team's capacity to enforce site related regulations (especially those related to tourism activities) appeared to have been declining prior to 2020 due to a multitude of factors including lack of support from judicial entities, limited human and logistical resources, and the impacts attributed to the global pandemic (IUCN Consultation, 2020). The National Steering Committee established in 2022 supports ASEZA’s efforts in regulating and controlling human activities in the protected area, particularly in relationship to tourism, through the involvement of the Aqaba governorate, the tourism and environment police, and the desert armed forces (State Party of Jordan, 2022). Tourist camps that do not meet requirements will be closed and dismantled. Seven illegal camps were dismantled in 2023 and their natural surroundings restored (UNESCO, 2023).

Building on these developments, a twinning initiative with AlUla in Saudi Arabia could offer targeted capacity-building and practical demonstrations of how cutting-edge tools like drones, GPS, and real-time reporting apps enhance enforcement and data-sharing. Such collaborations, which have proven effective in similar desert landscapes, would allow Wadi Rum’s ranger teams to benefit from joint training exercises on cultural site protection, wildlife crime investigation, and conflict mediation. By sharing experiences and lessons learned particularly around monitoring and integrated patrolling Wadi Rum’s staff could strengthen compliance procedures and support the National Steering Committee’s goal of more consistent on-the-ground regulation. This, in turn, could help overcome existing jurisdictional limitations and bolster ongoing efforts to dismantle illegal camps, regulate off-road driving, and maintain the site’s integrity.

A Wadi Rum Conservation and Development Fund was established in 2001 to ensure the area’s financial and institutional stability. The current income from entrance fees goes to the national treasury and is reimbursed to ASEZA as an annual budget. The staff is supported by both national agencies and international aid. In 2009 the site received some JD1.3 million (US $1,834,940) for operation and management, supplemented by funds in 2006-7 from the USAID SIYAHA tourism development project and JD1 million (US $1,411,490) from Abu Dhabi for oryx reintroduction (UNEP-WCMC, 2011).

Wadi Rum is the highest funded PA in Jordan, and is also the only PA in Jordan which has its own bylaw including provisions on financing security (including the Wadi Rum Development Fund). Despite this, government spending only covers operational costs, and WRPA suffers from low investment in site development funding (development of infrastructure and programs, and recruitment of staff) due to an economic crisis triggered by regional instability and resulting decline in visitor numbers. In 2019, the ASEZA Board of Commissioners adopted a financial plan to implement the Integrated Management Plan 2019-2023, which was linked to a strategic feasibility assessment associated with the resources needed for the effective management of the WRPA, and which includes a revised structure for entrance fees and tourism services fees, revised government allocation, and a system of self-financing for new projects (State Party of Jordan, 2019).

In response to negative effects caused by the global pandemic, ASEZA undertook efforts to ensure the recovery of socioeconomic aspects of the management of the site, including the improvement of the national and local budget allocated by the central government and ASEZA for the enhancement of the management of Wadi Rum (State Party of Jordan, 2022). The Wadi Rum Conservation and Development Fund will be reactivated by 2025 (ASEZA, 2024), implemented over the span of 3-5 years and supported by an extra budgetary allocation of fifteen million Jordanian Dinars (approximately twenty million USD) granted from the national budget specifically for the implementation of the program (State Party of Jordan, 2024).

With over 80 staff, many being local Bedouin, staff numbers and Indigenous representation are considered adequate. Capacity building for natural heritage staff is supported by IUCN Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA), Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), and UNESCO Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), but cultural staff are not included in this. A joint program with the UNESCO Jordan office was to address this shortcoming (Abulhawa et al, 2014), and the 2016-2017 planning and budgeting process included the planned recruitment and installation of two new specialists in cultural and natural science management on-site, as a matter of priority (UNESCO, 2016). The MoU between ASEZA and DoA called for the installation of a technical specialist to be based in Wadi Rum and maintain linkages between WRPA and DoA (State Party of Jordan, 2016). WRPA staff participated in two trainings preparatory to an HIA/EIA study for the property planned for 2020 (State Party of Jordan, 2019). Further, an MOU between ASEZA and the USAID SCHEP project was signed in late 2019 and includes significant technical cooperation related to institutional and staff capacities development for WRPA (SCHEP, 2020). The program will include a new generation of site management professionals, conducting a series of training activities on heritage research, planning, management and monitoring, and deploying a number of national experts to provide technical support and mentorship to the local team. Several activities were implemented in 2023 under the SCHEP partnership, including training of the management team, documentation of cultural heritage, and the implementation of a women’s leadership development programme involving local communities (UNESCO, 2023). According to the new IMP, technical team capacities will be enhanced in 2025 (ASEZA, 2024).

In 2015, sufficient funds were secured through a partnership with UNDP to redevelop the site interpretation program. This included restructuring the main visitor center to be based on the site's OUV, installing a new set of road signage and interpretation materials targeting local communities and visitors, and restructuring the visitors’ reception point in terms of location, nature and quality of information provided to visitors (State Party of Jordan, 2016). A cooperation agreement (MoU) was signed for 2019-2022 with the American Center for Oriental Research (USAID), which included an open learning environment on cultural heritage (State Party of Jordan, 2019). Local people were trained in using the Rock Art Sustainability Index, a phone app assessment tool (Andrews, 2019). Although the visitor centre has been operational since 2004, the interpretation and projection halls meant for interpretation have not been functional (ASEZA, 2019); the visitor centre will be rehabilitated by 2025 and an educational program will be implemented (ASEZA, 2024). Site-based education programmes via school clubs or school visits that focus on raising environmental awareness are carried out (Abulhawa et al, 2014). Interpretation of key visitor destinations with geological and aesthetic values is planned in the new IMP (ASEZA, 2024).

Wadi Rum has benefitted significantly from the USAID Jordanian Tourism Project Siyaha and other initiatives focused on supporting tourism development. Tourism activities include guided 4WD tours, horse and camel trekking, hiking and rock climbing, and camping. The main flow of visitors for off-road and camel tours is distributed and organized by local operators and based upon traditional access rights of each tribe to areas of the WRPA. Tour operators are licensed and managed by the Wadi Rum protected area staff and receive training and education sessions on natural and cultural heritage (IUCN, 2011). Tours take place within the general use and the resource use zones of the Protected Area (ASEZA, 2019). Rock climbing is popular, and although climbers and their guides are required to follow specific routes and register at the visitor centre prior to climbing, these regulations are not always followed. There is also no mechanism to monitor safety or provide search and rescue services, and mountain rescue relies on the few local Bedouin trained in rescue techniques (ASEZA, 2019). Camel racing, car rallies and ballooning are permitted in the buffer zone. “Instructions for regulating camping, touristic activities, and events within Wadi Rum Protected Area” were officially published in 2021. On this basis, tourist camps and camp-like installations have been surveyed, documented and inspected. Strict regulations were imposed on road expansion and desert camps (categorized by size and impact) (State Party of Jordan, 2024). Required changes were communicated to camp owners to comply with within six months from September 2022, in order to be licensed and sign a lease agreement (UNESCO, 2023). The preparation of a Heritage and Environmental Impact Assessment (HEIA) for tourism activities, including the identification of values and attributes, a preliminary analysis of factors, and delivery of staff training began in 2022, but progress was delayed due to financial and technical reasons (UNESCO, 2023). The first draft of the HEIA has been completed (in Arabic) and a national workshop will gather feedback which will be reviewed and submitted to ASEZA in early 2025. The draft will be translated to English and submitted for review by UNESCO and the Advisory bodies, and then be finalized and submitted to ASEZA for official approval by mid-2025 (State Party of Jordan, 2024). A new Rum Gate should be operational by 2025 to prevent unauthorized visitation and visitation services will be digitized and automated (ASEZA, 2024). Additionally, the Rum development and tourism corridor masterplan will be formulated (ASEZA, 2024). A 2024 study (Aldreabi, 2024) suggested reframing the narrative that Wadi Rum resembles an outer space terrain to be more in line with a destination for adventure heritage and culture tourism. The expectations and preferences of tourists were studied and revealed that exotic presentations can feel staged. Overall, there are positive developments in regard to tourism and visitation management, however the effectiveness of implementation remains to be seen.

Whilst there is some permitted subsistence woody fuel collection and pastoral grazing by local communities, these are currently thought to be within sustainable limits. There are no resources feasible for commercial use in the Property except the Disi sandstone formation which is an important source of raw materials for glass production and has been used for commercial use elsewhere. No mining is carried out at the site (ASEZA, 2019). The first draft of an HEIA for tourism has been completed. The draft will be submitted for review by UNESCO and the advisory bodies, and then be finalized and submitted to ASEZA for official approval by mid-2025 (State Party of Jordan, 2024).

With the exception of the intensively managed Arabian Oryx Re-introduction program, monitoring of the biodiversity values of Wadi Rum has long been carried out informally. However, in 2015, it was agreed that the informal system would be fully activated and turned into a systematic documentation process starting in 2016. A monitoring program records dune movement, changes of vegetation, numbers of livestock and the effects of grazing, the state of archaeological sites, the movements of Bedouin and impacts of visitors (UNEP-WCMC, 2011), however, the 2019-2023 IMP recognised a lack of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms (ASEZA, 2019) and the 2024 IMP summary mentions weak monitoring programs (ASEZA, 2024). Data pertaining to the number of off-road vehicles used per month for tours is collected regularly by the WRPA management team, however, the data is difficult to extract or analyze (ASEZA, 2019). Comprehensive assessments have established a 2024 baseline to control the expansion of camps and off-road tracks (State Party of Jordan, 2024). It is planned to conduct UNESCO IA for development projects in-site and in the buffer zone at all times, with UNESCO and management effectiveness monitoring and management-focused scientific research partnerships implemented by 2025 (ASEZA, 2024).

Rock art and inscriptions at the site have been studied since the 1930's, many studies of the geology and geomorphology of the area have been made during the last thirty years, and baseline biodiversity studies have been carried out. Research and Monitoring benefit from research partnerships with universities in Jordan and abroad (UNEP-WCMC, 2011). The 2019 cooperation program between ASEZA and USAID SCHEP planned to revise and activate a new research and monitoring system for the property, supported by national technical experts, new local interns, and the establishment of the Open Learning Centre with the property knowledge platform (SCHEP, 2020).
There is a research station in Rum village which will be reactivated in partnership with RSCN in 2025 (ASEZA, 2024). However, research programs are not management-oriented (ASEZA, 2024). Drone research and ground-truthing was used to document tourist camps inside the site and buffer zone to support the development of the new camp regulations (State Party of Jordan, 2022). Progress has been made to integrate the cultural and natural heritage databases into a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, which now covers 51% of the property and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024 (UNESCO, 2023). Over 150 updated GIS maps have been developed to integrate cultural, natural, and socio-economic data for management and monitoring purposes. A special portal will be established on-site by the end 2024 to host the GIS database along with designating the needed human resources and equipment for its continuous update and maintenance (State Party of Jordan, 2024). According to the new IMP, by 2025, geomorphological and biodiversity baseline inventories will be updated and sensitivity maps will be updated (ASEZA, 2024).

The property lies within the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZA) and was designated as a Special Regulations Area in perpetuity which is considered the strongest governance framework for a protected area in Jordan, however, there is weak synchronization between the national law and the ASEZA special regulation for Wadi Rum, as the special regulations are effective only inside the boundary of the protected area. The staff has acceptable levels of capacity/resources to enforce protected area legislation regulations but they have no legal authority outside the boundary of the protected area. A new 2025-2030 Integrated Management Plan integrates conservation strategies, zoning, tourism and management, with final approval anticipated by mid-2025. The newly enlarged Buffer Zone allows strategic use within its seven areas, from no-development zones to development zones which accommodated agriculture or urban settlement. However, various development projects planned near the site or within the buffer zone are of high concern due to their potential negative impacts on the site's attributes and OUV.

Key challenges to effectively manage Wadi Rum to World Heritage standards have included increasing socioeconomic challenges and pressures related to local communities leading to difficulties in enforcing regulations on the ground, limited financial resources, and limited lack of awareness and will of local law enforcement entities to take necessary measures to meet the required level of rule of law. Management authority for Wadi Rum sits with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZA), which raises questions about consistency of management as well as issues of capacity and an appropriate focus on natural and cultural heritage management. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted management capacity, slowing progress on changes to legislative and institutional frameworks and the implementation of management activities. In 2022, partly in response to after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and in response to growing concerns over the site’s state of conservation (especially in regard to tourism development and visitor management), a national steering committee was established with the mandate to support ASEZA’s efforts in regulating and controlling human activities in the protected area, particularly in relationship to tourism, through the involvement of the Aqaba governorate, the tourism and environment police, and the desert armed forces. The new 2025-2030 Integrated Management Plan has been formulated to integrate conservation strategies, zoning, tourism management, and climate adaptation, and was structured to address the complex interactions between the cultural, natural, socioeconomic, visitation, and use aspects. Additionally, a strategic and comprehensive reform program (the Wadi Rum Conservation and Development Program) was launched in 2024 with the objective to enhance the management effectiveness of the Wadi Rum Protected Area as a World Heritage Property and prime National Protected Area, and aims to restructure management to adopt a decentralized model for managing the Rum Region based on the principles of empowering the site management team and the strict application of accountability measures under the principle of balanced authority-responsibility duality.