Over a month ago I was ranting on and on about the economy and its sometimes adverse affects on our environment. One of the cases I mentioned back then was the proposal to build a tourist complex that would essentially wipe out Dibbin Forest. The complex consists of 4 hotels spanning over 450 dunums.
Many people have never been to this forest but it is quite something. In 1957 Dibbin was identified as one of the richest reserves of natural forests in the Kingdom, which is also quite something when you consider that less than 1% of Jordan is made up of forests.
This thing is for real folks. Those trees will all be uprooted and probably burnt right then and there very much like the catastrophe caused by the Ayla project that is nearing completion in Madaba and resulted in the uprooting and burning of hundreds and hundreds of old olive trees.
So I implore all readers of this blog to help us out and sign the petition to stop this disaster and save this forest.
If you are a blogger please blog about this topic if only a few lines to encourage visitors to sign the petition.
I created a little button you can put on your blog:
Let’s start this campaign going.
Jordanian Bloggers In Support:
– Batir
– Hal
– Natasha
– Shaden
– Roba
– Sunni Sister
– Jo Ladies
– Issa (Yugi)
– Firas
Count me in man, I say yes for a greener Jordan.
But from what i know about the project (being an ex-resident of jerash area… well, not that ex- i just moved from jerash after 17 years of living there).. is that it wont result in uprooting any trees!
that is, since the buildings will be built in an empty land near the forest. and the forest area included in the project will be reserved in a much better manner than now!
if you go nowadays to debbin, u’ll find that the situation is miserable, and every summer 4-5 fires are set in the area because of the lack of preservation..
also, the RSCT made a deal with Jordan Dubai capital that every uprooted tree in the roads to be built to the project will be moved to the area were buildings are being built in the empty area, plus another 9 new fresh trees.
personally, im not signing it!
nasim, inta 7or man…but the project will gobble up a few hundred trees from the forest. preserving it as it is right now is the first priority. and moreover, having that many hotels, construction sites and complexes in that area will only worsen the situation.
as for promises to move the trees
thats what they said with madaba
they burnt them all
I’ve signed the petition, I hope others will do the same, and it’s even better if other bloggers publish more posts on the ‘Dibbin tragedy’ by talking on both project byproducts and what local community says, I’m a Jerash resident and we are the first to demand the stop of this stupid project, really, it’s senseless to cut down 200 centenary trees (as minimum) to build four hotels and 160 chalets…
Power to you. Great cause!
Issa, most definitely. thanks!
Sillybahrainigirl, thanks and thanks for stopping by too!
Hi Nas,
What a great subject to blog about. I had no idea that the Dibbin Forest was in such a state. Okay, I didn’t even know about Dibbin forest until now. Thanks for sharing and nice Dibbin Button. 🙂
GG
i dought about the number of 100s of trees!
because the buildings will be held outside the forest as far as i know! its just that the area around the place is in a very miserable situation…. 7-9 villiges in the area have their young residents useless and unemployed … doing absolutely nothing! and this is the 2nd generation passing by in this situation.
So i also have my reasons … for a person knowing what’s happening there for over 17 years .. i personally know the situation, as well as the situation of over 10 forests suffering in the area,,,, not only debbin.
nasim: “because the buildings will be held outside the forest as far as i know!”
according to all sources the project will be taking up a large portion of the forest itself.
“7-9 villiges in the area have their young residents useless and unemployed â?¦ doing absolutely nothing! and this is the 2nd generation passing by in this situation.”
first, i dont know if these hotels will employ them in the first place. second, if they do, it would make very little difference if this project was set up away from the forest in terms of employing the local residents.
“the situation of over 10 forests suffering in the area,,,, not only debbin.”
this argument doesn’t make sense to me nasim. are you suggesting that since other forests in the area are suffering that therefore nothing should be done about debbin?
Thank you for this. I’ve signed, and now will blog! I like the button!
I am not only appalled by having such rare trees cut, I am sick at the stomach to see these people run after money at the expense of trees, archaeological sites, our history, the future of our children. Please everybody, speak out, time is precious! It takes seconds to destroy what has taken centuries to build. A rich oasis (a gift!)in the middle of a great expanse of merciless desert is worth the effort!
consider me in
Hal: thanks for hopping on the bandwagon.
Nell: thanks for stopping by with your words of encouragement.
Moey: we’re on our way to forming an enviornmentalist gang.
Jordan needs her trees! We can have economic development without doing any more damage to the environment. This country can’t afford to lose a single tree. Subhan’Allah. I will be telling my friends about this when we go to Dibeen this week, insha’Allah.
I am definitely in, and I love the button. Thanks for spreading the word 🙂
What I do not understand is.. with thousands of miles of empty desert, they put their eye on the one most fertile area in Jordan!!! They did that to Abdoun, a greatly fertile land ready for farming, turned it into a swamp of villas that don’t even claim beautiful gardens!
One generation ago, every household, no matter how poor claimed a grape vine, olive tree or at worst, some herbs planted near their door. Is money blinding us all from interacting with nature, which in turn is feeding us & giving us life?
Please everybody, look after our beautiful Jordan!
Thanks Nas for adding me in the list 🙂
Hope this all went good I have so many wonderfull memories to Dibbin. But I think Jordan is on a good way to protect the environment, with people like you all!