Ford grants support the conservation of endangered gazelles in Jordan's Aljoun Reserve

Today, the increasing use of firearms for hunting and the accuracy and sophistication of modern rifles are placing certain species under the threat of extinction. Increasingly, people hunt illegally for sport, even shooting from moving cars.

According to the Jordan Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, around 46 mammals are threatened in the Kingdom. Progress has been made to protect wildlife since the society was established in 1966 as the first non-profit Arab body dedicated to environmental conservation.

The JRSCN has received international recognition. In 2004, the Prince of Wales and Jordan's Queen Rania toured the society's work in the Ajloun Valley; the JRSCN manages projects covering 1,200 square kilometers in six protected areas: Ajloun, Azraq, Dana, Shaumari, Wadi Mujib, and Wadi Run.

The Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants, now in their seventh year in the region, have long supported the society's work. Nearly US$20,000 have been donated since 2001 to preserve indigenous fish stocks in Jordanian rivers, and 2005 saw the donation of US$7,000 to protect gazelles in the Ajloun reserve. The funds have been used to encourage breeding, and the reintroduction of animals into the wild.

The gazelles are a vital component of the reserve's eco-diversity; they help to maintain the grasslands and are an important source of food for other wildlife.

"The continuous support from the Ford Grants has been a great help to us and a means to expand our conservation efforts," said Nasser Abbasi, manager of the Ajloun Reserve, who received Ford's US$7,000 grant at a special ceremony in Dubai last year."

"We have made great progress in the captive breeding of the endangered gazelles and are moving ahead with their reintroduction back into the wild. Ford's backing has also helped us lobby the authorities to control illegal hunting practices," he added.

Since the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants started in 1983, the programme has supported more than 15,000 projects in 60 countries worldwide. The Grants were introduced in the GCC in 2000, and expanded to include Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in 2001. An independent jury of academics, government officials and environmentalists selects winners, and applications this year are accepted until October 19.

The criteria to enter remain unchanged. The Ford Grants are open to small-scale, non-profit groups and individuals in the GCC and Levant countries with ongoing projects aimed at the natural environment, environmental education, or conservation engineering. Grants have ranged between US$1,000 and US$15,000, and US$510,000 have been shared among more than 60 projects since 2000.

There were 13 winners in 2005 representing Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Syria, Qatar and Bahrain. This year, once again, a pool of US$90,000 is available to worthy causes.

To apply for funding from the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants, visit any Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealership in the GCC, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to pick up a brochure and an application form. Forms can also be downloaded from the bilingual website www.ford-environmentalgrants.com

Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East's Sales & Marketing director, said: "The Ford Grants are a
pioneering corporate initiative in the Middle East as little coordinated work to protect the environment takes place outside the public sector. Cash donations, like the Ford Grants, allow volunteer groups to allocate resources as they choose and where they're most needed."