The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Muhammad Al-Khashashna, said that the number of forest fires in the Kingdom amounts to about 8000 fires annually, according to the statistics of the Civil Defense Directorate.

During his meeting with the Ministry of Environment today, Tuesday, the representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science in the Arab States, Dr. Elsa Stot, and the national expert for the project “Strengthening Community Readiness to Confront Natural Hazards and the Effects of Climate Change in Jordan,” Dr. Marwan Al-Raqad stressed that confronting natural hazards and the effects of climate change in Jordan is considered It is an important project that requires participatory national efforts to reduce natural hazards.

He referred to the axes and activities of the project funded by the Japanese government, which will be implemented in three local locations in Jordan: Jerash, central Amman, Aqaba and Petra, explaining that the selection of these locations within the project came to cover the Kingdom’s regions, which is expected to have a positive impact on On the ground, especially as it covers areas most vulnerable to the main natural hazards that the Kingdom suffers from, such as forest fires, floods and landslides, which have impacts on local communities and the national economy.

The first axis will include a survey and assessment of local capacities, while the second axis includes the preparation of local strategies and action plans, based on the participation of local communities, while the third axis includes building local capacities through training of trainers, awareness and guidance.

It is noteworthy that, according to the Global Risk Index, Jordan’s file shows a medium risk ratio that makes it need to include reducing the risk of natural disasters in the policy-making and decision-making process in all sectors, strengthening cooperation between citizens and local governance, and ensuring better participation of civil society, especially women and youth.