Jordan is a country with a tremendously fragile environment. It faces substantial environmental challenges due to its delicate environmental resources and its limited financial assets. These challenges are aggravated by the scarcity of available water, deterioration of the water resources, land contamination, desertification, mismanagement of land use, and air pollution. Attempting to describe the “State of the Environment” and to provide an informed analysis of the threats to the nation’s environment is a Herculean task. This analysis examines the efforts made by Jordan in regard to protection and management of the environment. This thesis provides a snapshot of the major environmental issues and threats the country faces today.

Recommendations for improvement leading to a more sustainable environmental situation in Jordan include: increased emphasis on pollution prevention, training of Jordanian university graduates in environmental policy development and implementation, as well as community-wide environmental education, improved systems for planning and monitoring the use of land and other resources, and a more efficient organization of the Ministry of the Environment that provides enhanced enforcement capabilities. These findings have potential to be important not only for Jordan, but for many neighboring countries in the Middle East as well, because there are many commonalities in the history and geography.