The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), in partnership with the Royal Department for Environment Protection, which is affiliated with the Public Security Directorate (PSD), on Saturday organised a ceremony to launch drones, unmanned surveillance aircraft, over Dana Biosphere Reserve and Mujib Biosphere Reserve. 

The ceremony came in light of commemorating the Kingdom’s centennial, which the RSCN considers an opportunity to work in favour of Jordan’s environment and national resources and highlight the concepts of entrepreneurship, creativity and partnership between state institutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Director of the Dana Reserve Amer Rfou said that flying these drones aims at monitoring and safeguarding biodiversity at reserves, curbing violations, including poaching, as well as conducting studies especially that the two areas are characterised by rough, mountainous terrains.  

Using drones will reinforce aerial surveillance covering a wide area of both reserves, contributing to dedicating modern technologies for the service of biodiversity in Jordan and effectively dealing with environmental conditions to preserve Jordan’s resources, Rfou added. 

The drones are launched according to a surveillance plan followed by the two reserves. 

The RSCN works according to a philosophy of partnership with relevant authorities, foremost of which is the PSD’s Royal Department for Environment Protection to preserve the diversity of plant and animal life, spread environmental awareness among different groups of the society and encourage environmental tourism