Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00Jordanians themselves and from
00:00:17species recorded in
00:00:21does protecting the reserve
00:00:36and many
00:00:38In fact, it should start
00:01:01this With us Kamal Nazzal and my colleague Reham. Good evening, Reham. Good evening, Kamal. How
00:01:04are you? I'm great, thank God. Good evening to our viewers from wherever
00:01:07you are watching us, from all governorates of the Kingdom, and certainly from inside
00:01:11Jordan or outside Jordan. We will be with you in a new episode
00:01:56conservation programs. We implement level. and its importance today at the archaeological stories in Jordan. Our episode today is diverse in its topics and stations, and we will accompany you with reports
00:02:00and also efforts that reflect a side of the cultural
00:02:03and environmental scene in Jordan. We will also
00:02:06is, well, start from the Azraq Wetland Reserve to learn more about
00:02:09its environmental importance and its role in preserving biodiversity
00:02:12and the challenges facing
00:02:17cutting them down, to preserve the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to this unique natural site and the efforts made to protect it, with our guest
00:02:20Mr. Hazem Al-Hurayshah, Director of
00:02:25with the reserve staff. of nature reserves in Azraq Wetland Reserve. Certainly, after that, we will have an appointment with the "A Story of an Artifact" segment from Khirbet Ataruz in Madaba Governorate,
00:02:29to learn about the story of this archaeological site and its most prominent
00:02:33features of historical and cultural value
00:02:36with our colleague Tamam
00:02:39of the Al-Khasawneh. And now, as
00:02:41we have always accustomed you, let's watch together what the "What Happened" segment
00:02:43will present to us today
00:02:56does the reserve contribute I am with you at the opening of the Jordanian Children's Theater Festival
00:02:58in its twentieth session. Let's see the atmosphere together.
00:03:17same time, you can still get
00:03:24the vision and mission of the Ministry of Culture, and based
00:03:28on the directives of His Excellency the Minister, the Ministry
00:03:31of Culture organizes many
00:03:36one of the unique festivals, including
00:03:37or vertebrates, or other the Children's Festival, as this
00:03:40child should
00:03:43starting with be given Beautiful. To your
00:03:44heritage in great attention. Also,
00:03:47the Ministry of Culture has established a directorate
00:03:50concerned with children's culture. Through these
00:03:54attraction for those who visit this festivals, we can showcase the creativity
00:03:58and innovations of our children through what
00:04:02they produce in
00:04:04expressive and directed plays. Also,
00:04:09treasure, as we have also rare this year, we focused on matters related to festivals, on
00:04:12creatures, fish, or even the Jordanian narrative, the land and the people,
00:04:16as this homeland has roots deeply embedded in
00:04:20history.
00:04:26that, well,
00:04:29Now, it's a somewhat sensitive festival because
00:04:32it deals with an age
00:04:34first places, and how group that, let's say,
00:04:37is easily influenced, easily
00:04:40and healthy. Forget falls in love with theater, so we build inside them a love for theater, so that
00:04:43when they grow up,
00:04:46they might work in theater, become
00:04:48these local communities, theater followers,
00:04:50Maarouf or taking it seriously in a society that might still
00:04:53view theater not with such seriousness,
00:04:58the Azraq Reserve during spring or autumn. These are so to speak. The message of the festival,
00:05:01in these types of as usual, was the educational message primarily,
00:05:04and the delivery of many
00:05:07national concepts to the child and the child's interaction with
00:05:11for the Azraq Reserve, both from these national concepts, Hazem, how do you see the demand which we instill in the hearts
00:05:14of children, who are the men of the future. I am Dana
00:05:18Oudi, I am eight years old. I have been attending children's theater since
00:05:22I was four years old, and I am very excited, and I hope
00:05:25I will participate in it one day. I am thankful to Jamil Nayef, my age. I am
00:05:2912 years old, in the sixth grade. I
00:05:33came for the first time to the children's theater, but
00:05:36I liked it very much, and it has activities that develop
00:05:39children, encourage them, build self-confidence.
00:06:05All thanks to our colleague Mohammad Al-Jabari. We experienced beautiful moments
00:06:09from the Children's Theater Festival, which emphasizes the importance of presenting art
00:06:12to children in a way that is close to them, combining
00:06:15entertainment and ideas, and opening up space for them to experience
00:06:19and imagine. This is what we actually need for our children to
00:06:22experience, especially these beautiful events that are emerging in our
00:06:25country to truly make their summer
00:06:28the best ever. Right? A special summer, God willing. Correct. Well, after
00:06:32we followed the atmosphere of the Children's Theater Festival, we will
00:06:35move to a distinctive environmental station in Jordan: the Azraq Wetland
00:06:39Reserve, a site that holds great environmental value
00:06:42and is an important stop for migratory birds
00:06:46and many living creatures. To talk more about this
00:06:49reserve and the challenges it faces, we are joined by
00:06:53the director of the Azraq Wetland Reserve, Mr. Hazem Al-Hurayshah. Welcome.
00:06:56Welcome, you've honored us. Welcome, Mr.
00:06:59Hazem. First, we would like you to introduce us more and tell us more about
00:07:03the Azraq Wetland Reserve
00:07:06the national
00:07:08First of all, good evening and thank
00:07:11you to Jordan TV for this hosting and for shedding
00:07:15light on the programs of the Royal Society for the Conservation of
00:07:18Nature, represented by the Azraq Wetland Reserve.
00:07:21In fact, the Azraq
00:07:24Wetland Reserve is considered the second reserve
00:07:27established in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,
00:07:31and also within the national network
00:07:34Jordan that are managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.
00:07:38And this place is also considered one of
00:07:41the most important migratory bird routes between Europe and Africa
00:07:45and vice versa, both in Jordan and globally. Yes.
00:07:49Also, Azraq is home to
00:07:52the only habitat for the Azraq
00:07:56Killifish. This species, the only vertebrate
00:07:59endemic to this oasis, does not live in any other environment
00:08:02in the world except in the Azraq area. Oh, wow. We
00:08:05even have very rare aquatic animals that are not found
00:08:09anywhere else. This is what distinguishes this place. The Azraq
00:08:13Reserve, over time, played a role
00:08:16in establishing the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature through, let's
00:08:20say, the idea came from a group of hunters
00:08:23who used to come to Azraq to practice
00:08:26duck hunting in this area.
00:08:29Therefore, when they felt a negative
00:08:33impact on the number and types of migratory birds
00:08:37as a result of hunting, they established the nucleus
00:08:40of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
00:08:44in 1966. So, it was
00:08:47the beginning of the launch of a national
00:08:50institution concerned with protecting nature
00:08:53and also the natural
00:10:03So, Mr. Hazem, tell us about the most prominent types of birds
00:10:06and living creatures found in the Azraq Reserve. In
00:10:10fact, Azraq is rich
00:10:13waterfowl, migratory birds,
00:10:16and songbirds. All these
00:10:19species pass through our beloved
00:10:22Jordan, passing through one of the routes, which is the
00:10:25Azraq area. And also, in this area,
00:10:29we are talking about two-thirds
00:10:32of Jordan's birds. We are talking about
00:10:35approximately 330 bird species recorded in the Azraq
00:10:39Reserve out of 442
00:10:42the Kingdom. Therefore, there is a great diversity in the number of birds
00:10:46present in the reserve. Perhaps the most important of them is, of course,
00:10:50the mallard, the duck, and also the shelduck,
00:10:53and some species of herons
00:10:56and species of wading birds, also waterfowl,
00:11:01species that you can imagine, such as water hens, and also
00:11:06diverse species, some resident, some migratory,
00:11:10species of songbirds, like reed
00:11:14warblers or some other species.
00:11:17Nice, very beautiful. We actually have a diversity of bird species and animal
00:11:21species that are present. So, what are the challenges facing
00:11:25the reserve today, especially regarding water,
00:11:28because the reserve needs a lot of water in this regard?
00:11:31Thank you for this question. We actually
00:11:35have a problem. Indeed, it is, we can say,
00:11:39one of the most important problems today that Azraq faces,
00:11:43like other, let's say, sites in
00:11:46Jordan. We know Jordan is one of the poorest
00:11:49countries in the world due to the per capita share of
00:11:52water. Also, Azraq used to be a rich
00:11:56place. It used to be described as a paradise
00:12:00on this land due to the excessive
00:12:06the Azraq groundwater basin. Today, we are talking about a decrease in water
00:12:10levels to very
00:12:12high degrees, which led to a decrease
00:12:16in this level significantly
00:12:19and clearly,
00:12:22and also led to the drying up of the Azraq oasis in the early nineties. Yes,
00:12:26the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature implemented a rehabilitation
00:12:29program for these natural habitats
00:12:33by, well, supplying water
00:12:37through an agreement with
00:12:40provide us with a water share that is between
00:12:441.5 and 2.5 million cubic meters to restore
00:12:4710% of the oasis that existed before. So, the water
00:12:51problem is one of the main challenges facing this
00:12:54reserve. In addition to today, we are talking about
00:12:58the phenomenon of climate change, which today we feel
00:13:01through an
00:13:04increase in temperatures or a decrease in rainfall.
00:13:08All of this negatively affects
00:13:11our natural habitats and our natural heritage
00:13:14in the Azraq Reserve
00:13:18and also in Jordan. So, how
00:13:21to preserving biodiversity and the environment? Today, through
00:13:25the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature,
00:13:29we are fundamentally working on, well, rehabilitation
00:13:33programs. These programs are intended
00:13:36to, well, create natural
00:13:39habitats that restore part of what was
00:13:43there, in order to provide these natural environments
00:13:46for the biodiversity that visits this
00:13:50area, either for nesting or during migration periods,
00:13:53or for biodiversity in general, whether
00:13:57mammals, birds, or even invertebrates,
00:14:02types of existing diversity. Therefore,
00:14:06the efforts made in the field of rehabilitation play
00:14:09a significant role today in restoring a large
00:14:13part of our biodiversity, and also a large
00:14:15part of the tourist
00:14:19place. The reserve has
00:14:22a lot of diversity today, animal.
00:14:26of all kinds, sweet. So, we consider the Azraq Reserve
00:14:29to be an heritage and also a national
00:14:34animals, whether aquatic
00:14:37birds. Today, how does the local community maintain
00:14:41and also ensure the reserve in
00:14:43general?
00:14:46The local community today does not feel
00:14:51this place is not theirs. Today, let's say,
00:14:55the sense of ownership plays a major role because
00:14:59the reserve today does not constitute, well,
00:15:02a bridge or, let me say, a transit area in their lives.
00:15:05No, this is a historical and cultural
00:15:08heritage that is linked to the conscience of
00:15:13whether they are Druze of Bani
00:15:15Chechen brothers or Arab Bedouins. We have
00:15:19a beautiful cultural diversity in the Azraq
00:15:23region. This diversity, well, plays a major role
00:15:26also in the conscious cultural
00:15:30thought through which we were able to
00:15:33preserve this oasis, support its efforts,
00:15:38and also today there are several
00:15:41tools through which we were able to, even through local
00:15:44communities, through an advisory committee
00:15:47that was established to seek advice from
00:15:50advisors and influential people in local communities.
00:15:53We listen to their opinions and also
00:15:56try to keep these recommendations in mind
00:16:00in our planning for nature conservation and our planning also
00:16:04for conservation programs in all their forms.
00:16:07As we know, nature reserves today,
00:16:11well, they serve as an alternative
00:16:14economy for local communities. Correct. So, it is also,
00:16:17today, the community
00:16:20can contribute to spreading
00:16:24awareness within, let's
00:16:26say, this community. And also, we always strive
00:16:29for all reserve
00:16:33jobs to be exclusively for Azraq residents. That's great. This
00:16:36idea is generalized across all reserves, so we
00:16:40try as much as possible to maximize the economic benefit
00:16:43within these areas adjacent to nature reserves. Very
00:16:47nice. Okay, what about programs, for example, if there are awareness
00:16:50or educational programs targeting school or university
00:16:54students, or even visitors? Is there anything like that? Certainly.
00:16:58Well, these nature conservation programs
00:17:01must always be accompanied by
00:17:04the concept of environmental awareness. So, through them,
00:17:08we established nature conservation clubs in Azraq
00:17:11schools. Great. And also, at the
00:17:14society level, it was established in all schools of the Kingdom. In addition,
00:17:18in 2013,
00:17:20we established the Nature Knight program.
00:17:24Yes, this is for ages 12 to 15 years old.
00:17:27It aims to build a connected and aware generation
00:17:31in nature
00:17:33this program, and each reserve has its own theme. This theme that
00:17:37distinguishes the Azraq Reserve is wetlands. So,
00:17:40therefore, the program targets these
00:17:43students to go through five stages, through which, of course,
00:17:47they receive a certificate with the Azraq Killifish
00:17:50stamp on it, which we consider a rare
00:17:54fish for this place, and they also go through all these stages and become
00:17:58specialized in this through different activities
00:18:02So, this is part of
00:18:06the awareness, in addition to us providing awareness to housewives
00:18:09and also awareness to civil society organizations
00:18:12in the region. We are keen on farmers and many
00:18:18community groups. We try in one way or another to
00:18:22increase awareness, either through social media or
00:18:26through awareness sessions that are held,
00:18:28let's say, directly, or even environmental celebrations that we
00:18:32organize at the reserve. Very nice. So,
00:18:35how does the reserve
00:18:37welcome visitors today? What plan do you offer to tourists?
00:18:41What activities or program can the visitor follow when they visit
00:18:45the reserve, and what can they do during
00:18:48the day to make their tourist experience in the reserve
00:18:51unique? Certainly. Well,
00:18:54we have a set of tourist programs
00:18:57at the Azraq Reserve. Perhaps the most important of them is
00:19:01the overnight stay program. We have the Azraq Lodge
00:19:04located there, which is a hotel that provides food
00:19:07and beverage services and overnight stays
00:19:11for visitors to the Azraq Reserve and also for visitors to other reserves
00:19:15like Shawmari and also Dhahik
00:19:18Reserve and also to the eastern desert region. Yes. So, this
00:19:22place is the starting point for tourist trips,
00:19:25including the bicycle path and also we
00:19:29have experience
00:19:31tourism for local communities, as I mentioned,
00:19:34Azraq has a unique cultural blend.
00:19:37Yes, we work on connecting
00:19:40them within the management of tourism activities
00:19:44that showcase local cultures. Through these,
00:19:47we also arrange visits through what is called experiential
00:19:51tourism, and also we have several programs,
00:19:54which is the hiking program that
00:19:57takes place in the reserve, from
00:20:00which, well, the most famous program we have is bird
00:20:03watching, which takes place between spring and autumn,
00:20:07coinciding with the bird migration period. So, during this
00:20:11period, there are two blinds or
00:20:14houses. Of course, these houses
00:20:17are intended for you to sit and watch
00:20:21birds through the windows, so you see
00:20:24a great diversity and record many species during the migration
00:20:28period, and this is something very unique or famous in the Azraq Reserve.
00:20:32Nice. So you advise people to visit
00:20:35perhaps the golden periods
00:20:38for Azraq, during which, of course, you see a lot of biodiversity,
00:20:41both animal and bird. Nice. So, Mr.
00:20:50foreign tourists, compared to the northern reserves or the southern
00:20:53reserves? Well, in fact, we
00:20:57need to shed more light
00:20:59on Azraq. We need to, well, today we are talking about
00:21:03a place that has cultural
00:21:07diversity, historical diversity. We have
00:21:09archaeological palaces and also UNESCO sites. We
00:21:13also have nature reserves today. We are talking about
00:21:16the first reserve established in the region in
00:21:20Jordan, which is the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve in
00:21:241975, and also the second reserve established is the Azraq
00:21:28Reserve, which was in 1978. So today, we have
00:21:31nature reserves in the Dhahik Nature Reserve as well, which
00:21:34the Society is currently working on
00:21:37to announce it as a UNESCO
00:21:41geological park, and also Azraq
00:21:44has, well, cultural and natural
00:21:47diversity, as I mentioned. All
00:21:51diversity, well, it's worth,
00:21:55let's say, more light being shed on it through,
00:21:58well, the media or through
00:22:01influencers or, well,
00:22:05all categories
00:22:08of, let's say, visual, audio, and print media, etc.
00:22:11Yes, very good. So, Mr. Hazem, how important do you think
00:22:15the message needs to be conveyed to the Jordanian
00:22:20the environment and protecting these properties, which I call
00:22:24a natural environmental treasure in Jordan that
00:22:27we all must protect? What message do you address to the citizen
00:22:31regarding preserving the environment and these environmental resources that must
00:22:35be available to us? Certainly. Well, regarding
00:22:38our fellow citizens, I, well,
00:22:42certainly, protecting
00:22:46nature and protecting natural heritage
00:22:49is not solely the responsibility of institutions. Yes, that's true. It is
00:22:53a national effort. It
00:22:56this spirit that we, well, call belonging to this
00:23:00homeland, to the nature of this homeland and its natural
00:23:03heritage, obliges us to preserve our trees without
00:23:07and, well, rationalize water consumption.
00:23:11Also, we are talking about
00:23:14illegal hunting. These are also things that we
00:23:18ask them to cooperate with us hand in hand,
00:23:22so that we preserve this national natural
00:23:25heritage for us and for future generations. And also,
00:23:28I invite them to visit nature reserves and enjoy these natural
00:23:32landscapes and also learn about them
00:23:35and contribute to these sites because these
00:23:38sites' financial returns also
00:23:42contribute to their development and the development of nature
00:23:46conservation programs. Very nice. Okay, if you allow us to ask you one last question before we
00:23:57The Azraq Reserve has, frankly, during
00:23:59the past
00:24:01period, managed to reach 10% of its former oasis
00:24:05despite the water scarcity and, well,
00:24:07the water sources were very
00:24:11scarce, and also
00:24:14the great drought and lack of rain.
00:24:16The reserve also managed to preserve the Azraq
00:24:20Killifish, which was on the verge of extinction, and it is also
00:24:26species of this oasis.
00:24:28The reserve also received many international awards,
00:24:33its inclusion in the Green List, which
00:24:37is
00:24:39in recognition of our efforts, let's say,
00:24:42for practicing
00:24:44or, let's say, for applying the best international
00:24:47practices in managing nature reserves. Yes, and also
00:24:51we received the award for the top 100 sustainable sites worldwide,
00:24:55and there was also the Visitor Center
00:24:58Star award for the best design for visitor centers,
00:25:02and also for diversity in both biodiversity
00:25:05and facilities. Wow, how
00:25:08proud we are when we hear that our country,
00:25:12with its breathtaking nature, and its
00:25:15resources, whether natural resources,
00:25:18fish resources, or even animals, how today it is
00:25:21competing for awards and topping
00:25:24beneficial this is for the country, economically
00:25:27and also touristically. And Jordan
00:25:31is always a known destination for all our
00:25:34Arab brethren and expatriates. And God willing, we will reach global recognition in
00:25:38this. Mr. Hazem, we want to move with you now to a segment
00:25:41called "The Brief and Useful." Quick questions and we need short
00:25:58Mr. Hazem, the biggest challenge for the reserve: water scarcity or
00:26:01climate change? Water scarcity.
00:26:04Is the reserve still a main stop for migratory
00:26:08birds? Yes or no? Yes. Does ecotourism
00:26:11contribute to protecting the reserve? Yes.
00:26:14Who visits the reserve more: Jordanians or
00:26:18foreign tourists? Currently, Jordanians. Excellent. So,
00:26:23require greater community awareness?
00:26:26Absolutely. Has the reserve seen the return of bird
00:26:30species after conservation efforts? Yes or no? True, thank
00:26:33God. Does environmental protection start with the individual
00:26:37or institutions?
00:26:41with the individual. An institution is
00:26:45just part of its role. But it is
00:26:48precisely a group of
00:26:51say, it needs to start from the individual.
00:26:55Can development and nature conservation be reconciled?
00:26:57Absolutely.
00:27:00What is the most unknown fact about the Azraq
00:27:03Reserve?
00:27:06Perhaps its area today, we are talking
00:27:09about 74 square
00:27:15the water buffalo
00:27:18is not an indigenous species in this place.
00:27:21It is not one of the indigenous species in this place.
00:27:25It was introduced, but in an administrative way, to preserve the area.
00:27:29Excellent. One word to describe the Azraq Reserve. Life
00:27:33or heritage?
00:27:38I can combine the two. Life
00:27:41of Jordan. Life of Jordan. Excellent. Indeed. Mr. Hazem
00:27:44Hareesheh, Director of Azraq Wetland Reserve. You were
00:27:48with us today. You honored us. And surely all the best, God willing.
00:27:52I am honored to be with you. Welcome. All thanks to you. And we are happy to have you with
00:27:56us. And we hope that our natural resources will develop more
00:27:59and become a global resource as well, and a destination. God
00:28:39Did you know that you can now complete notary public
00:28:42transactions electronically and remotely, without needing
00:28:46to visit government departments from anywhere within the Kingdom,
00:28:49and even Jordanians residing
00:28:53electronic services? All you
00:28:55have to do is activate your digital ID and your digital
00:28:59signature through the Sanad app, because the amendments to the new
00:29:03Notary Public Law adopted the digital signature
00:29:06and considered it to have the same legal force as a regular signature,
00:29:10under the highest security standards. In short, using
00:29:13electronic means to provide services is 100%
00:29:16legal, and at the
00:29:20the service in person from any court you
00:29:22want.
00:29:29Good morning, the airport is beautiful.
00:29:33North turn right. Beautiful, beautiful. You go down,
00:29:35you continue.
00:29:38Beautiful. health.
00:29:42Let me see.
00:29:45Oh, nice.
00:29:47Just a moment.
00:29:51We met today because the company's sales increased
00:29:55by 30%. Very nice. Did you hear that
00:29:59they say it will snow tomorrow? Nice.
00:30:06Nice. Nice. We heard the word nice
00:30:09a lot, but where is the real
00:30:11nice?
00:30:14The real nice is Al-Kaseeh Halawa, which we've had
00:30:17for 100 years. Nice. 100
00:30:21years. 100 years of sweetening
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