(Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature)
9th January 2002
Dear Mr Irani ,
On a recent holiday in Wadi Rum, I heard some rather contradictory
things about new regulations which are planned for the Wadi Rum Protected Area. I tried to confirm the facts by visiting the RSCN office in Rum village,
but unfortunately the person who works there speaks very little english and was not able to answer my questions.
Perhaps you can help?
Do you have any documents which
a) list the present regulations which apply, and
b) list plans and proposals for future rules and regulations.
If it is necessary to pay for these documents, please let me know; I would be happy to do so.
I would like to clarify some points both about the present rules - for example, I know that hunting is banned, but I am unclear as to whether visitors are allowed to drive their own 4-wheel drive vehicles in the area - and about possible future restrictions, especially on camping in and access to the desert.
As a final point, I have to say that the most obvious impact of tourism on the Wadi Rum Protected Area seems to be the rubbish which can unfortunately be found in the desert. I cleaned up some of this myself.
There seem to be some kind of Park Rangers - I don't know whether they are employed by the RSCN ? Is it part of their jobs to clean up the rubbish ? Or
if not, are other plans being made to clear it up and dispose of it ?
Thank you in advance for any help you can give with this,
Yours faithfully,
Kate Ness
Not having received a reply to this letter after a month,I sent a reminder by e-mail,
and received this reply from RSCN