Mujib Biosphere Reserve
Archaeologists have identified Wadi Mujib as a human habitation site since the Copper Age (4500-3200 BCE). During biblical times, the Mujib River served as a major geographicaland political boundary between the kingdoms of Moab and Ammon. Once a busy commercial area for salt and oil, villagers now depend on farming for their livelihoods. Established in 1985, the Mujib Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 212km2 bordering the Dead Sea at lower than 416 meters below sea level, which makes it the lowest reserve on Earth. It serves as an internationally-recognized staging ground for migratory birds such as White Storks and Levant Sparrows. At least nine species of birds of prey are known to breed in the reserve, including the Little Owl and Long-legged Buzzard.
The Mujib Biosphere Reserve is also the national home of the Nubian Ibex, a large mountain goat that was a symbol of the moon god during the reign of the Queen of Sheba. Once on the brink of extinction in the Kingdom, the Ibex captive breeding program was initiated by The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in 1989 and over 90 Ibex live in the Reserve today.
