At the Royal Botanic Garden, we got to see conservation in action. We also got to explore an area of rolling hills just outside the busy city of Amman.

Princess Basma took us on a short nature hike. Along the way she pointed out some of Jordan’s native plants, like the almond tree. One of the project’s main goals is to reintroduce plants that have been pushed out of the area by invasive plants.

A second goal of the project is to reduce the stress put on the land by humans. Part of meeting the second goal requires limiting the amount of animal grazing. When animals are allowed to graze freely, most of the local grass gets eaten up. This leaves the land barren and in pretty bad shape. To reduce this, the Royal Botanic Garden staff are working with local shepherds to limit the number of animals they put on the land.

For me, it was encouraging to see a large team of people coming together to tackle the environmental problems in their area. It was also inspiring to meet Princess Basma and see that one person can make a big difference.

Tomorrow: Time for sun and sand at the Dead Sea.

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