Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
Jordanian independent voluntary organization responsible for conserving wildlife, protected areas, and natural resources.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) is an independent Jordanian voluntary organization devoted to protecting the country's wildlife, natural habitats, and broader natural-resource base. Established in 1966, it operates under a public-service conservation mandate that is unusual among voluntary organizations in the Middle East. King Hussein served as the society's honorary president at its establishment. The organization works across several connected areas: creating and managing protected areas, conserving endangered species, enforcing wildlife-protection laws, combating illegal hunting, educating the public, supporting scientific and field-based conservation, and developing sustainable economic opportunities for rural communities. A central feature of the RSCN model is the integration of conservation with local development. Rather than treating protected areas solely as exclusion zones, the society has developed tourism, handicraft, hospitality, guiding, and other nature-based businesses intended to create income around reserves while generating financial and public support for conservation. Its Wild Jordan division was established in Amman to develop and manage ecotourism programs associated with protected areas. Wild Jordan markets locally produced goods, organizes visitor services, collects entrance fees, and channels income from tourism and community products toward conservation and nearby communities. Products associated with the program have included handicrafts, jewelry, organic food products, olive oil, leather goods, and other locally made items. The society's conservation network includes ten protected areas covering more than 4,656 square kilometers, according to the referenced account. These areas protect varied Jordanian landscapes and habitats, including sites of importance for birds and other wildlife. RSCN programs have included captive breeding and the reintroduction of Arabian oryx, gazelles, and ibex. The organization also operates or supports wildlife rescue and rehabilitation work, including the seizure and care of animals held unlawfully before potential release into the wild. Its nature-guide and environmental-education programs are designed to improve visitor awareness and strengthen public understanding of threatened species, hunting controls, and habitat protection. One of the best-known expressions of the RSCN's approach is Feynan Ecolodge in Wadi Feynan, on the western edge of the Dana Biosphere Reserve. Built in 2005, the lodge was designed as a low-impact tourism alternative in an area historically associated with copper mining. Its operating model emphasizes solar power, candle lighting, locally sourced food, local employment, and cultural engagement with Bedouin communities. In 2009, private Jordanian company EcoHotels took over management and operations under a partnership arrangement with the RSCN. The partnership separated conservation management from tourism operations while retaining a mechanism through which tourism revenue could support the reserve and surrounding communities. RSCN-supported tourism and community initiatives have also included visitor facilities, trails, campsites, guest houses, workshops, heritage-building restoration, museums, and training programs. USAID has been a significant partner in developing Jordan's ecotourism infrastructure and nature-guide capacity, while Global Environment Facility projects implemented through the World Bank and selected United Nations Development Programme initiatives have also supported conservation work. The society has worked with BirdLife International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Its reserves have been identified as Important Bird Areas through cooperation with BirdLife. The organization has nevertheless faced tensions over the social consequences of conservation restrictions. Communities near reserves have objected to limits on grazing, logging, hunting, and other land uses, particularly where residents believed that protected-area designation removed access to economically valuable land without delivering immediate benefits. Accounts concerning Dana, Wadi Rum, Jabal Masouda, Karak, Petra, Tafileh, and Aqaba describe disputes over participation, access, and the distribution of tourism benefits. These criticisms highlight the continuing challenge of reconciling biodiversity protection with customary livelihoods and local expectations. Despite these tensions, the RSCN remains one of Jordan's leading conservation institutions and a prominent regional example of linking protected-area management to ecotourism and rural development.
History
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature was founded in Jordan in 1966 as an independent voluntary body with responsibility for conserving the country's natural resources. Its public-service role has included wildlife protection, habitat conservation, enforcement support, public education, and the establishment of protected areas. King Hussein served as honorary president at the time of its creation, underscoring the institution's national importance. Over time, the RSCN developed from a conventional conservation organization into a protected-area network manager and a promoter of nature-based development. It created reserves in representative Jordanian landscapes and worked to protect habitats that support birds, mammals, and distinctive plant communities. The society has also operated programs for captive breeding, wildlife rehabilitation, and reintroduction. Arabian oryx, gazelles, and ibex are among the species identified in accounts of its recovery work. The organization has supported enforcement against illegal hunting and unlawful possession of animals, while its nature guides and educational activities seek to improve public compliance with conservation rules. A major strategic shift was the linking of conservation with rural economic development. Through Wild Jordan, the RSCN established a branded platform for ecotourism, visitor management, and community enterprises. The program promotes local products and services, manages access and tourism income at reserves, and seeks to show that protected landscapes can provide economic value without being converted to intensive development. Its activities have included visitor centers, cafes, handicraft sales, guiding, accommodation, trails, campsites, and cultural experiences. The model has been supported by international partners, especially USAID, which helped finance tourism infrastructure and capacity-building. Other support has come through Global Environment Facility projects implemented by the World Bank and through United Nations Development Programme initiatives. Feynan Ecolodge became the most visible example of this strategy. Constructed in 2005 in Wadi Feynan at the western edge of the Dana Biosphere Reserve, it was designed as a sustainable alternative to environmentally damaging extractive activity in a historically important copper-mining region. The lodge uses solar energy in selected facilities, locally made candles, spring water, locally sourced food, and local labor. It also incorporates Bedouin culture and creates employment in a remote area with limited formal opportunities. In September 2009, EcoHotels took over the lodge's management and operations. The arrangement allowed the RSCN to concentrate on its conservation mandate while a private operator focused on hospitality and visitor experience. Revenue from the lodge contributes to reserve conservation and surrounding communities. The RSCN's work has expanded beyond wildlife and tourism into landscape restoration and heritage reuse. In Dana Village, buildings were renovated or adapted for visitor uses such as accommodation, restaurants, shops, and other tourism facilities, with external assistance reported from USAID. The society has also supported the development of nature-guide training, youth nature clubs, junior ranger activities, and visitor interpretation. Cooperation with BirdLife International helped identify the society's reserves as Important Bird Areas, while relationships with IUCN and the International Fund for Animal Welfare broadened its technical and conservation network. The RSCN's approach has generated recognition but also criticism. Conservation restrictions can affect grazing, logging, hunting, and access to land used by communities around reserves. Residents in areas including Dana, Wadi Rum, Jabal Masouda, Karak, Petra, Tafileh, and Aqaba have been described as challenging aspects of reserve governance and benefit distribution. Critics argue that consultation and local participation have sometimes been insufficient, and that environmental objectives do not always align with customary livelihoods. These disputes illustrate the institutional challenge faced by conservation organizations in regions where rural households depend directly on land and natural resources. Despite these tensions, the RSCN remains a central institution in Jordanian environmental governance. Its distinctive contribution is the attempt to combine species and habitat protection with tourism, local employment, product marketing, and environmental education. The organization presents conservation not only as the restriction of damaging activities but also as a platform for sustainable regional development.
- 2010
Wild Jordan receives ethical-tourism recognition
[1]Wild Jordan received the Guardian-Observer Ethical Travel Award for responsible tourism work.
- 2009
EcoHotels takes over lodge operations
[1]EcoHotels began managing and operating Feynan Ecolodge through a partnership with the RSCN.
- 2005
Feynan Ecolodge constructed
[1]The society developed Feynan Ecolodge in Wadi Feynan as a low-impact tourism project connected to the Dana Biosphere Reserve.
- 1966
Organization established
[1]The RSCN was created as an independent voluntary organization dedicated to conserving Jordan's natural resources and wildlife.
Products and positioning
A national conservation institution that combines protected-area and wildlife management with ecotourism, environmental education, and income-generating programs for rural communities.
Ecotourism and community enterprise
Wild Jordan
Wild Jordan is the RSCN's branded ecotourism and community-development division. It develops visitor experiences in and around protected areas, promotes locally made handicrafts and food products, manages entrance and tourism services, and directs part of the resulting income toward conservation and nearby communities. Its model is intended to make protected landscapes economically relevant to residents while building public support for nature protection.
Eco-lodge · 2005
Feynan Ecolodge
Feynan Ecolodge is a low-impact accommodation project in Wadi Feynan on the western edge of the Dana Biosphere Reserve. Built in 2005, it uses solar power in selected areas, candle lighting, spring water, locally sourced vegetarian food, and local employment. The lodge was designed to provide an alternative economic model to extractive activity and to direct tourism-related value toward conservation and Bedouin communities.
Protected-area management
Jordan protected-area network
The RSCN establishes and manages protected areas intended to safeguard Jordanian wildlife, scenic landscapes, and important habitats. The referenced material attributes ten reserves covering more than 4,656 square kilometers to the society's network. Activities include visitor management, habitat protection, enforcement support, nature guiding, environmental education, and community-oriented tourism.
Species conservation
Wildlife breeding and reintroduction programs
The society conducts or supports captive breeding, wildlife rehabilitation, and reintroduction efforts for threatened Jordanian species. Arabian oryx, gazelles, and ibex are cited among the animals involved in its recovery work. The RSCN also handles animals seized from unlawful possession and seeks to return suitable individuals to natural habitats.
Marketing campaigns
- Wild Jordan community-based ecotourism
Jordan
Wild Jordan promotes nature tourism and locally produced goods around RSCN reserves. The program is designed to create employment and sales for rural communities while producing revenue and political support for conservation.
Outcome. The initiative became a prominent Jordanian example of connecting protected-area management with rural enterprise and responsible tourism.
- Wildlife rescue and reintroduction
Jordan
RSCN programs combine enforcement, animal seizure, rehabilitation, captive breeding, and release to address illegal possession and declining wildlife populations.
Outcome. The society has reported successful reintroductions involving Arabian oryx, gazelles, and ibex.
Brand decisions
2009
Enter a private-sector operating partnership for FeynanStrategyBackground
The RSCN was responsible for reserve conservation, while hospitality development required specialized tourism management.
Action taken
EcoHotels assumed management and operational responsibility for Feynan Ecolodge while the RSCN retained its conservation role.
Aftermath
The partnership was reported to improve the lodge's visitor performance and expand its local employment and tourism profile.
2005
Develop Feynan Ecolodge as a conservation-financing modelStrategyBackground
Wadi Feynan had a history of copper mining, while nearby communities needed economic opportunities. The RSCN sought to demonstrate that low-impact tourism could support both local livelihoods and reserve management.
Action taken
The society developed a solar-oriented ecolodge using local employment, local supplies, and cultural tourism as part of the Dana conservation model.
Aftermath
The lodge became a flagship example of Jordanian ecotourism and a source of conservation and community revenue.
Recent events
- 2010
Wild Jordan receives an Ethical Travel Award[1]
Campaign
Wild Jordan was recognized by the Guardian-Observer Ethical Travel Awards for work associated with responsible tourism and community-oriented conservation.
- 2009
EcoHotels begins operating Feynan Ecolodge[1]
Other
EcoHotels assumed management and operations of Feynan Ecolodge under a private-sector and nonprofit partnership with the RSCN.
- 2005
Feynan Ecolodge constructed in Wadi Feynan[1]
Product launch
The RSCN developed Feynan Ecolodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve as a low-impact tourism project intended to create local economic opportunities and provide conservation revenue.
- 1966
RSCN established in Jordan[1]
Other
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature was established as an independent voluntary organization dedicated to protecting Jordan's natural resources, wildlife, and wild places.
Sources2 sources
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