The Gharandal Charitable Society will implement the "Rangeland Alternative Resources Project" in the town of Gharandal and neighboring areas, Tafileh governorate. The project aims at protecting natural rangeland in an area of significant biodiversity surrounding the Dana Nature Reserve through providing alternative resources and supporting local income generating activities at the local community level. Through a pioneer partnership between the Gharandal Charity Society and the Dana Nature Reserve, the project will establish better understanding of natural resource conservation among local community members and achieve sustainability of agricultural production in Gharandal area. It is also hoped that the project will further enhance the capacities of the Gharandal Charity Society in managing project activities and serving its community. The grant value amounts to US$ 28,250.

The Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society (JREDS) will use a planning grant of US$ 1,000 to conduct a field study to collect information and initiate contacts required for establishing a central organizational unit to supervise glass boat operations in the Gulf of Aqaba. The study will identify environmental, organizational, legal, economic and social conditions and obstacles facing the development of this sector. Pending the results of the study, JREDS will develop a full project that will work for the actual establishment and management of the above-mentioned organizational unit. It is hoped that through organizing glass boat operations, pollution and destruction of marine life caused by glass boat operation in the Aqaba Gulf will be minimized.

The Productive Women Cooperative Society/ Marka will implement the "Sun House Project" which aims at promoting environmental friendly community applications through displaying practical models and conducting public awareness activities. The project will be implemented in the rehabilitated solid waste disposal site in Marka that the Society had turned into a park over the past four years in cooperation with the Greater Amman Municipality and the GEF Small Grants Programme. A solar energy unit granted by the European Commission in Amman will be installed on site to generate electricity for project uses on site. Other applications on site will include drip irrigation system, water-harvesting and soil conservation measures. Awareness activities using the different applications displayed on site will be conducted targeting school children, women in the surrounding area as well as the NGO community. It is hoped that this project will constitute an integrated model of actions that can be taken at the community level to improve their environmental and economic conditions. It is also expected that the project will soon be supported by the World Bank Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Programme (METAP III)- Small Grants Facility initiative. The total project cost is expected to reach US$ 37,729.

The Jordan Badia Research and Development Program will implement a "Community-based Rangeland Rehabilitation Program" in Tall Ar-Rimah in the Jordanian northern Badia. The Badia Program will involve the local Bedouin community in rangeland rehabilitation efforts in an area of 50,000 dunums of natural rangeland where practical packages developed and tested by the Badia Program will be applied on a large scale by the local community. Within this area, the Department of Land and Survey has allocated the use of 120 dunums to the local community for fodder production. The project will be implemented along with two other projects concerning forage production as a rangeland alternative and a milk dairy production factory as an integrated management practice. It is hoped that the project will not only improve the rangeland situation, but will also contribute to improving the living conditions of the Bedouin community. Total grant for this project amounts to US$ 49,000.

The Community Service Office of the University of Jordan will implement a Recycling Program, which will establish an integrated waste management system within the University. The Program hopes to empower the University to take responsibility for the waste flow that it generates and make a positive contribution to the quality of its environment. The project will complement other government and non-government organizations' initiatives in the field of solid waste management in the country, such as the Biogas project and the Recycling Project both supported by the United Nations Development Programme. The Project will also contribute to building the leadership capacities and skills of the involved students and promote the importance of voluntary work. The grant amounts to US$ 15,103.

The United Nations Development Programme has initiated the Small Grants Programme in Jordan and has been managing it since 1992. Signing the project agreements today, the Programme would have supported (69) projects in different parts of the country for a total value of over US$ 2 million. Supported projects under this Programme deal with issues of biodiversity protection, climate change control and protection of international waters addressing at the same time environmental and livelihood problems of the local communities.