Amman — Experts have stressed the importance of Jordan’s second copper-mining agreement in Dana, southern Jordan, as the country confronts economic and social challenges, while emphasizing the need to protect biodiversity and preserve the environmental value of natural areas, particularly the Dana Biosphere Reserve.
With global copper prices approaching $14,470 per metric ton, based on a futures price of $6.56 per pound, experts say exploiting natural resources is becoming increasingly important amid regional instability, global import shortages and disruptions to supply and shipping chains.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, preliminary technical indicators from some samples showed copper concentrations of around 1.36% in the southern geological formation, while concentrations exceeded 3.5% in specific samples. Copper ore is estimated at around 45 million tons, equivalent to approximately 500,000 to 600,000 tons of refined copper.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh and Ziad Al-Manaseer, chairman of the board of directors of Manaseer Energy Group, signed an executive agreement last week for copper mining in the Wadi Khaled, Wadi Al-Nahas, Wadi Al-Jariya and Wadi Al-Mahash areas in southern Jordan. The agreement covers approximately 78 square kilometers and is the Kingdom’s second copper-mining agreement.
Under the new agreement, work will include verifying estimates of mineral resources and reserves, determining copper concentrations and economically recoverable quantities, and estimating the required capital investment based on the approved underground mining method.
The first agreement was signed in June 2025 for the exploitation of copper and associated minerals in the Abu Khashiba area of Wadi Araba, covering 48 square kilometers, with Wadi Araba Minerals Company.
Ahmad Awad, director of the Phoenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, said exploiting Jordan’s natural resources has become an urgent necessity to address economic and social challenges, particularly unemployment, poverty, a weak productive base and rising public debt.
He said this need is growing amid indications that international aid could decline in coming years and competition for it intensify, making it necessary to strengthen the national economy’s ability to generate income and jobs and finance development from domestic resources.
Awad said expanding copper exploration and investment in Dana represents an opportunity that should be taken seriously as part of a broader national approach to developing Jordan’s natural resources. Developing these resources could open new avenues for production and exports, increase public revenues and stimulate economic activity in the governorates, provided their economic viability is proven and they are managed efficiently and transparently.
He said the ambition should go beyond extracting and exporting raw materials to developing local processing industries, building supply chains involving Jordanian companies, and training young people for jobs in these sectors. The real development value, he added, comes when natural resources are transformed into decent jobs, knowledge, technology and revenues that support public services and social protection.
This requires clear agreements guaranteeing the state a fair share, defining investors’ obligations and allowing oversight of implementation and returns. It also requires accelerating studies and institutional procedures, avoiding unjustified delays and distinguishing between the exploration phase and the decision to proceed with commercial extraction.
Regarding Dana, Awad said the approach must be accompanied by an independent and publicly disclosed environmental assessment that protects biodiversity and water resources while considering tourism and local livelihoods and identifying suitable areas and conditions for investment.
Jordan, he said, needs to act now to build an economy that relies more heavily on its own capabilities. Properly developing natural resources through a productive and responsible vision would be a key pillar in strengthening the country’s ability to withstand shocks and improve living standards.
Dr. Sakher Al-Nsour, a specialist in natural resource management, said exploiting natural resources is becoming increasingly important amid current regional conditions, global import shortages and disruptions to supply and shipping chains. These disruptions have affected industries and most vital sectors as a result of the wars in the region.
He said mining is one of the key sectors capable of advancing these objectives by converting natural resources into processing industries and expanding them.
Al-Nsour said the copper sector is seeing positive movement, with more companies receiving exploration concessions and conducting feasibility studies in preparation for establishing processing industries that would allow natural resources to be exploited more efficiently and effectively.
He noted that the area contains promising zones for copper extraction, adding that diversifying the companies holding concessions, rather than concentrating exploitation in a single company, would strengthen competition and accelerate progress toward the desired results.
Al-Nsour also called for expanding exploration and development of other natural resources, particularly silica sand, while expanding processing industries linked to phosphate and potash and making greater use of the various products generated by mining operations.
He said mining by-products are highly important and that broadening the range of natural resources being exploited can strengthen economic viability and generate returns beyond expectations, while contributing to the development of strong infrastructure serving multiple industries.
Copper, he added, is a key material used in numerous vital, high-value industries, making it essential to keep pace with the latest technological developments, complete exploration, sampling and feasibility studies, and move toward the manufacturing stage.
Al-Nsour said the current circumstances make time an opportunity that should be seized. He expects copper development to generate good returns for the state treasury, while also delivering social benefits by reducing unemployment and training and qualifying communities living near natural resource sites, particularly in southern Jordan.
He stressed that these efforts require a clear legislative framework, streamlined legislation and procedures, and firm compliance by concession holders with agreed conditions, including timelines, technical requirements and financial capacity. He also emphasized the need to verify that companies have the financial strength and technical expertise required to complete projects quickly and within defined timeframes.
Omar Shoushan, president of the Jordanian Federation of Environmental Associations, said Jordan faces a genuine test in balancing economic priorities with environmental protection requirements. This balance, he said, must begin with the recognition that protecting natural capital is not an obstacle to development but one of its foundations and a prerequisite for sustainability.
Shoushan described the Dana Biosphere Reserve as one of Jordan’s and the world’s most important natural sites because of its exceptional biodiversity and global environmental and scientific value. It is not merely a geographic area, he said, but a national repository of biodiversity, an invaluable natural asset and a showcase of Jordan’s commitment to protecting nature and reserves.
Any expansion of copper exploration or investment in the area should therefore be preceded by a comprehensive and independent environmental impact assessment and a specialized study of the sensitivity of biodiversity and ecosystems, Shoushan said. Such assessments should consider potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts, as well as alternatives and long-term effects on water, soil, natural habitats and threatened species.
He stressed that these studies should not be treated as a formal licensing requirement, but should form the scientific basis for decision-making. Their findings should be made publicly available, with experts, civil society organizations and relevant authorities involved in reviewing them.
At the same time, Shoushan said the importance of investment in natural resources and its potential role in supporting the national economy and creating jobs should not be underestimated. The goal, however, should be to identify development opportunities that complement nature conservation rather than projects that could cause environmental losses that are difficult to reverse.
Not every investment opportunity, he added, is necessarily a sustainable development opportunity, particularly when its potential cost involves unique components of the country’s natural capital.
He stressed the need for a clear and decisive legal framework and full compliance with environmental legislation governing natural reserves, including restrictions on mining activities within them, without allowing economic considerations to override those protections.
Protecting Dana is not merely a local issue, Shoushan said, but a national responsibility and a test of Jordan’s credibility in protecting biodiversity and sustaining its natural resources. Any decision on the issue should be based on science, law and long-term national interests rather than short-term economic returns alone.
True development, he added, is development that preserves future generations’ right to a healthy environment while safeguarding Jordan’s economic opportunities and international reputation for nature conservation.
Shatha Al-Sharif, executive director of SustainMEN and an expert in the green economy, said any economic investment or development project should balance economic, environmental and social considerations.
She noted that the Dana copper project has involved cooperation between the reserve’s management, government institutions and the private sector to operate within the framework of applicable laws, environmental legislation and environmental impact assessment requirements, while taking into account the area’s special status as a natural reserve of importance extending beyond Jordan to the international level.
Dialogue among the various stakeholders, along with the agreements and negotiations that followed, has produced options and alternatives aimed at reducing negative impacts on the environment and nature, Al-Sharif said. This includes exploring ways to develop the project, its technology and the methods used, allowing economic activity to continue while complying with applicable environmental and social laws.
Source: Al-Ghad
