Azraq Wetland Reserve has won one of the top 100 best Green Destination sustainability stories in the world for the year 2022, according to Green Destinations, a global nonprofit organization created in the Netherlands to support sustainable destinations, during the conference that was held in Athens, Greece, recently on “World Tourism Day”.

This prestigious award serves as an international recognition for the role of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in managing reserves and devoting its regional and international role in protecting nature.

Established in 1978, the reserve is one of the most important migration routes for birds in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the region. It is also considered a paramount destination for bird watching, as two-thirds of the bird species in the Kingdom were recorded in the reserve from a total of 350 bird species. In addition to the “Sirhani” fish, which is the only vertebrate species existing in Jordan.

This initiative aims to recognize tourism destinations that have worked hard to make a difference, take sustainability seriously, and celebrate best practices. The selection is awarded to destinations recognized by various criteria such as policy, nature protection, animal handling ethics, landscape, environmental issues, reduced dependence on fossil fuels, cultural heritage, support for local communities, business environment, hospitality services, and lodging.

Green Destinations has been organizing the competition annually since 2014 with the aim of highlighting success stories and sharing good practices to make destinations more sustainable and better for local communities and travelers. The competition is organized by ten leading organizations and networks in the field of sustainable tourism in the world.