Floristic Features, Distribution, and Ethnobotany of Plants Gathered and Used by Local People from the Mediterranean Forest in Northern Jordan

Understanding the distribution and floristic features of native forest plants, as well as the reasons that lead local people to collect them, is of great value for planning and implementing forest conservation and rehabilitation projects in the Mediterranean forest involving local communities. The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the distribution pattern, (2) analyze the floristic features, and (3) investigate the main uses of plants gathered from three Mediterranean forest ecosystems in Northern Jordan. We sampled 14 villages that were selected according to their location on the edge and within the three Mediterranean forest types in Northern Jordan. Three hundred informants were interviewed face to face using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data obtained included a list of plants collected and their uses. A Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) was carried out to investigate the distribution of plant species collected from the three forest types. Also, important indices were calculated including Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Fidelity Level (FL%), and uses totaled. The DCA showed that there are common plant species gathered intensively from all three forest types, namely Origanum syriacum L., Malva parviflora L., and Arum palaestinum Boiss., and that some plant species are collected from a particular forest type. The main uses of the collected plants are food and medicine. The study results suggest value in taking into account the behavior of people who collect native forest plants when designing fragile forest ecosystem restoration programs. These programs should be community-based in order to achieve ecosystem sustainability and prevent biodiversity erosion

Ecosytem services: A rapid assessment method tested at 35 sites of the LTER-Europe Network

The identification of parameters to monitor the ecosystem services delivered at a site is fundamental to the concept’s adoption as a useful policy instrument at local, national and international scales. In this paper we (i) describe the process of developing a rapid comprehensive ecosystem service assessment methodology and (ii) test the applicability of the protocol at 35 long-term research (LTER) sites across 14 countries in the LTER-Europe network (www.lter-europe.net) including marine, urban, agricultural, forest, desert and conservation sites. An assessment of probability of occurrence with estimated confidence score using 83 ecosystem service parameters was tested. The parameters were either specific services like food production or proxies such as human activities which were considered surrogates for cultural diversity and economic activity. This initial test of the ecosystem service parameter list revealed that the parameters tested were relatively easy to score by site managers with a high level of certainty (92% scored as either occurring or not occurring at the site with certainty of over 90%). Based on this assessment, we concluded that (i) this approach to operationalise the concept of ecosystem services is practical and applicable by many sectors of civil society as a first screen of the ecosystem services present at a site, (ii) this study has direct relevance to land management and policy decision makers as a transparent vehicle to focus testing scenarios and target data gathering, but (iii) further work beyond the scale investigated here is required to ensure global applicability

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on smoking (waterpipe and cigarette) and participants' BMI across various sociodemographic groups in Arab countries in the Mediterranean Region

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco smokers are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19. Lockdown was a chosen strategy to deal with the spread of infectious diseases; nonetheless, it influenced people's eating and smoking behaviors. The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on smoking (waterpipe and cigarette) behavior and its associations with sociodemographic characteristics and body mass index. METHODS: The data were derived from a large-scale retrospective cross-sectional study using a validated online international survey from 38 countries (n=37207) conducted between 17 April and 25 June 2020. The Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR countries) data related to 10 Arabic countries that participated in this survey have been selected for analysis in this study. A total of 12433 participants were included in the analysis of this study, reporting their smoking behavior and their BMI before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between smoking practices and the participant's country of origin, sociodemographic characteristics, and BMI (kg/m2). RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence rate of smoking decreased significantly during the lockdown from 29.8% to 23.5% (p<0.05). The percentage of females who smoke was higher than males among the studied population. The highest smoking prevalence was found in Lebanon (33.2%), and the lowest was in Oman (7.9%). In Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, the data showed a significant difference in the education level of smokers before and during the lockdown (p<0.05). Smokers in Lebanon had lower education levels than those in other countries, where the majority of smokers had a Bachelor's degree. The findings show that the BMI rates in Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and Saudi Arabia significantly increased during the lockdown (p<0.05). The highest percentages of obesity among smokers before the lockdown were in Oman (33.3%), followed by Bahrain (28.4%) and Qatar (26.4%), whereas, during the lockdown, the percentage of obese smokers was highest in Bahrain (32.1%) followed by Qatar (31.3%) and Oman (25%). According to the logistic regression model, the odds ratio of smoking increased during the pandemic, whereas the odds ratio of TV watching decreased. This finding was statistically significant by age, gender, education level, country of residence, and work status. CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall rates of smoking among the studied countries decreased during the lockdown period, we cannot attribute this change in smoking behavior to the lockdown. Smoking cessation services need to anticipate that unexpected disruptions, such as pandemic lockdowns, may be associated with changes in daily tobacco consumption. Public health authorities should promote the adoption of healthy lifestyles to reduce the long-term negative effects of the lockdown

Economic Assessment and Community Management of Prosopis juliflora Invasion in Sweimeh Village, Jordan

Invasions by invasive alien species (IAS) are recognized as one of the largest threats to earth&rsquo;s ecosystem services and represent rapidly growing economic costs as they damage local ecosystems and force surrounding communities to divert resources towards IAS management and control. The study objectives were to assess the economic impacts of a Prosopis juliflora invasion in Jordan and gauge community preferences for management plans. The study was conducted in Sweimeh, Jordan Valley using a combination of focus groups and randomized interviews with 203 local households. Direct-use values for products derived from P. juliflora and direct costs owing to P. juliflora&rsquo;s presence have been calculated. A binary logistic regression model was then developed to predict the households&rsquo; preferences between two policy responses: P. juliflora management or complete eradication. The results revealed the dualistic role of P. juliflora in household livelihoods: it was widely used for firewood, fodder, and charcoal offering benefits valued at JOD 2165 per household/year (JOD 1 = USD 0.71). At the same time, the invasion reduced household welfare by taking over arable lands and injuring humans and animals. Consequently, the income lost as a result of the invasion was estimated by JOD 1410.5 per household/year. As a result, two-thirds of respondents choose the option of P.juliflora invasion management. Only respondents&rsquo; monthly income and perception of P. juliflora&rsquo;s impact on the prevention of soil erosion were significant predictors of respondents&rsquo; preferences for the management plans. In conclusion, more coordinated responses between policy makers, institutions, and local communities are required to mitigate the negative impact of P. juliflora invasion

Socioeconomic Analysis of Soil-Less Farming System -An Comparative Evidence from Jordan, The Middle East

The soilless farming system is an exclusive technique of growing plants with the out use of soil in the large-scale farms owned by a few exporters in Jordan. The research offers an economic analysis of this soilless system for sustainable water and land use. It deals with the socio-economic compared to the conventional farming system. Two types of questionnaires were used to collect data from both systems; 32 and 68 farms, respectively. The socioeconomics was analyzed using cost-benefit Analysis. The results show the efficiency of the soilless system concerning irrigation, enhancing agricultural productivity and returns. The adopters receive a higher income, where 40% of them get more income compared to 20% in the conventional system. Furthermore, the cost-benefit analysis confirms its high profitability according to different indicators. The economic, and environmental benefits are sufficient and convincing reasons to make soilless agriculture the most agricultural practical method to accommodate growing trends in sustainability and development

Evaluating post-fire recovery of Latroon dry forest using Landsat ETM+, unmanned aerial vehicle and field survey data

We evaluated the fire severity and recovery process of the Latroon dry forest in Jordan following the 2003 fire. A series of multi-temporal Landsat-ETM + data and the delta normalized burn ratio (dNBR) were used to map the fire severity immediately following the fire and 1,5,9,13 and 17 years after. In addition, combined field morpho-physiological measurements, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were also used in 2020 to assess the forest recovery. Landsat-dNBR images revealed that about 65% of the forest was burned in 2003. In 2020, about 90% of the burned area recovered to condition before fire. UAV means were similar to ground measurement data across the severity classes and over the tested species. Landsat-dNBR images showed that most moderate and highly severe burned area in 2003 had recovered in 2020 but ground measurements showed that the severely burned area trees were significantly shorter (

Factors involved in formulation of oily delivery system for proteins based on PEG-8 caprylic/capric glycerides and polyglyceryl-6 dioleate in a mixture of oleic acid with Chitosan

Systematic experimental work is required to improve knowledge related to the use of oily delivery systems. This work aimed to examine the influence of different molecular weights chitosan on formation and solubilization ability of w/o system of Labrasol, Plurol Oleique, water and oleic acid. Phase diagrams were constructed. Size measurements were performed for each surfactant in oleic acid. Interfacial tension of chitosan was measured between oleic acid and water at pH 1.5 and 6.25. Effect of chitosan on microemulsion size was studied. When used to deliver rh insulin to diabetic rats, the mixture showed reduction in blood glucose compared to control

Local Communities’ Willingness to Accept Compensation for Sustainable Ecosystem Management in Wadi Araba, South of Jordan

In developing countries, like Jordan, climate change and population growth have prompted land-use and land-cover changes that have profoundly affected ESs, especially by poor people living in fragile ecosystems. This study aimed to analyze the attitudes towards ES among households living in Wadi Araba, a study area located in a dry ecosystem with limited natural resources, as well as to determine the value of ES and the main socio-economic and perceptions factors influencing households’ willingness to accept (WTA) compensation according to the families’ priorities. The face-to-face method was used to interview a random sample of 296 residents from the study sites, using a structured questionnaire to capture the accepted level of compensation for conservation by the local community. Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis was applied to determine the main socio-economic factors affecting WTA. More than 91% of the respondents were willing to accept compensation for three different conservation plans that reflect the resident’s priority. For the three priorities, the weighted average of the compensation levels was JOD 436, 339, 261 per household per year, respectively, and the aggregate values were about JOD (1,196,977.8, 930,601.2, and 719,411.8, respectively) (JOD 1 = USD 1.41). The residents’ gender, age, and income were among the most important factors that affect the compensation level. The main policy implications are that the government and non-governmental organizations should strengthen advocacy and education of arid ecological and natural resources protection, besides including the local community in any decisions in establishing differentiated compensation strategies and regulations. Eventually, the conservation and restoration activities will become self-initiated