WASHINGTON, DC—As heads of state, climate activists and civil society representatives discussed the challenges of climate change at COP27, Chief Randy Moore visited Forest Service and U.S. interagency partners in Jordan, Israel and the West Bank who are battling the impacts of climate change on the ground.

The Forest Service has a 40-year-long history of working in the Middle East to address environmental issues of common concern, including watershed management, forest restoration, conservation education and climate change adaptation.

In the first part of his early November trip, Chief Moore visited Jordan, the second-most water poor country in the world. According to USAID estimates, Jordan’s groundwater is currently being depleted at twice the rate of replenishment.

Forest Service International Programs has worked on watershed restoration projects in Jordan since 2016. The Forest Service’s approach relies on a combination of ground engineering and transplanting native plant species to reduce erosion and increase water recharge rates. Its approach also relies on investing in communities.

During the visit, Chief Moore met with women who run native plant nurseries in Sabha and Wadi Rum. He heard about how their forest and rangeland restoration work produces economic benefits for their families and for the communities that surround restoration sites. Forest Service partners working in Jordan, including WADI for Sustainable Ecosystem Development, Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas, demonstrated the benefits of grazing and biodiversity at restoration sites.

After traveling from the north to the southern-most end of Jordan, Chief Moore crossed over the border into Israel. He traveled with Keren Kayemeth Leisrael, a Forest Service partner since 1987, to visit a water harvesting monitoring project and an ecological research station in the Yatir Forest.

The Chief learned about how the Forest Service and KKL collaborative efforts have improved forest planning and management to safeguard the ecosystem services healthy forests provide—from water and fresh air to open spaces for recreational activities.

Chief Moore concluded his trip to Israel with a visit to a post-fire restoration site in Mount Gilboa and to the Hula Bird Sanctuary Project and wetland restoration project, where he welcomed new KKL staff to their restoration teams and bid farewell to retiring staff.

Chief Moore’s final stop in the region was to learn about new youth programming with Palestinian partners from Nature Palestine Society, Palestinian Child Arts Center and Hebron University. Twelve Palestinian youth will participate in a new Youth Climate Corps that focuses on climate change mitigation, career readiness and personal development.

The Forest Service also supports leadership camps, ambassadors for the environment, a smart journalist program, and a “mothers for the environment” initiative. These activities provide a positive environment for children to express themselves through art and creativity as well as helping them process trauma and grow into the next generation of leaders.