Amman, September 2008 – Jordan Dubai Capital (JD Capital) announced the launch of a support fund, contributed to by JD Capital's subsidiary companies' own personnel, that is aimed at protecting Jordan's forests and backing the national reforestation efforts.

The announcement was made during a visit to the fire-damaged area, which covers approximately 60,000 square meters in Jabal Al-Aqra' in Dibeen Nature Reserve, in Jerash. The visit was conducted by HE the Minister of Environment Eng. Khalid Al-Irani, as well as a delegation from the company headed by HE Samir Z. Al-Rifai, CEO of JD Capital and includes Mr. Naser Al-Khalidi, General Manager of Jordan Dubai Properties; Mr. Nidal Khawaja, General Manager of Munya Specialized Resort; Mr. Yahya Khalid, General Manager of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature; and Col. Mahmoud Al-Turk, Head of the Environmental Police, as well as representatives from the Civil Defence.

The fund, which was created as soon as JD Capital learned of the fires that destroyed hundreds of forest trees in Dibeen Nature Reserve last Friday, is dedicated to supporting the efforts of the Civil Defence by providing the tools, mechanisms and vehicle units needed to increase the effectiveness of the rangers in fighting the fires that threaten Jordan's forests, which cover less than 1% of the country.

"Our presence here today is a reflection of JD Capital's unwavering commitment towards preserving the Kingdom's environmental resources. We hope that this initiative will motivate other organizations in all sectors to take a strong stance in supporting the protection of nature and in aiding national efforts to fight desertification," said HE Samir Al-Rifai in comment to this initiative. "We join our voices on this occasion to those of the officials at Dibeen Nature Reserve and urge the community's various institutions in the private and public sectors to cooperate in initiating and putting into effect a national strategy for the protection of forests in Jordan to avoid such dire losses in the future."

JD Capitals’ on-going efforts to protect the forests and revive the local economy in Dibeen are in line with the company’s commitment to the region as voiced from day one since the announcement of JD Capital’s project in Dibeen, which was not affect by the recent fires.