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National Geographic Lists ‘Jordan Trail’ among Best 21 Tourism Destinations for 2018

The Jordan Trail. (AFP)
The Jordan Trail. (AFP)
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National Geographic Lists ‘Jordan Trail’ among Best 21 Tourism Destinations for 2018

The Jordan Trail. (AFP)
The Jordan Trail. (AFP)

The Jordan Trail has been listed among the best tourism destinations for 2018 by National Geographic Travel.

This list features the top 21 cultural and nature destinations worth visiting during the upcoming year. The choices were divided into three main categories: cities, culture and nature.

George Stone, editor of National Geographic Traveler said: "Our mission is to inspire curiosity among our readers and encourage them to explore the world with passion and purpose.”

“The 21 destinations we chose for 2018 will definitely lead to a great year of delightful explorations, which represent a dream program for inspired travelers.”

“This list relies on the values adopted by National Geographic Travel ​​in learning about cultures and civilizations, and preserving heritage, environment, and sustainability,” he added.

For her part, Muna Haddad, president of the Jordan Trail Association, said: "This rank is well deserved. We are grateful to encourage visitors to take this amazing journey, to get to know Jordan closely, by hiking in the trail and experiencing the Jordanian hospitality.”

“Many adventurers have worked for many years to make Jordan's diverse nature available for all, by fulfilling the dream of Jordan Trail. This important recognition is a celebration of their efforts in placing Jordan on the global map of tourism,” she added.

The Jordan Trail is a long route that extends over 650 km, crosses the entire Jordan, from Umm Qais in the north to Aqaba in the south.

Haddad highlighted the continued support of partners and supporters for further development of the trail and to transform it into an economic catalyst in the regions it passes through.

The best tourism destinations in the world for 2018 are: Albania, Cleveland in Ohio, Dublin in Ireland, Friesland in the Netherlands, Harar in Ethiopia, Jordan Trail in Jordan, Jujuy in Argentina, Labrador in Canada, Madagascar, Malmo in Sweden, Oahu in Hawaii, Oaxaca in Mexico, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Rua Neb in Tanzania, San Antonio in Texas, Santiago in Chile, Suraxan National Park in South Korea, Sydney in Australia, Tbilisi in Georgia, Tetouan in Morocco, and Vienna in Austria.

The Jordan Trail, run by the Jordan Trail Association, passes through 52 villages and crosses various natural areas, including forests, deserts and valleys. The Jordan Trail Association was established by a group of adventure enthusiasts in 2015 to develop and manage the trail.

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Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

A scientist guides a long tube into the mouth and down to the stomach of Thing 1, a two-month-old calf that is part of a research project aiming to prevent cows from burping methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Paulo de Meo Filho, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Davis, is part of an ambitious experiment aiming to develop a pill to transform cow gut bacteria so it emits less or no methane.

While the fossil fuel industry and some natural sources emit methane, cattle farming has become a major climate concern due to the sheer volume of the cows' emissions.

"Almost half of the increase in (global) temperature that we've had so far, it's been because of methane," said Ermias Kebreab, an animal science professor at UC Davis.

Methane, the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, breaks down faster than CO2 but is more potent.

"Methane lives in the atmosphere for about 12 years" unlike carbon dioxide which persists for centuries, Kebreab said.

"If you start reducing methane now, we can actually see the effect on the temperature very quickly."

Filho uses the tube to extract liquid from Thing 1's rumen -- the first stomach compartment containing partially digested food.

Using the rumen liquid samples, the scientists are studying the microbes that convert hydrogen into methane, which is not digested by the cow but instead burped out.

A single cow will burp roughly 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of the gas annually.

- 'Social critters' -

Thing 1 and other calves receive a seaweed-supplemented diet to reduce methane production.

Scientists hope to achieve similar results by introducing genetically modified microbes that soak up hydrogen, starving methane-producing bacteria at the source.

However, the team proceeds cautiously.

"We can't just simply cut down methane production by removing" methane-making bacteria, as hydrogen could accumulate to the point of harming the animal, warned Matthias Hess, who runs the UC Davis lab.

"Microbes are kind of social critters. They really like to live together," he said.

"The way they interact and affect each other impacts the overall function of the ecosystem."

Hess's students test different formulas in bioreactors, vessels that reproduce microorganisms' living conditions in a stomach from movements to temperature.

- More productive cows -

The project is being carried out at UC Davis as well as UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI).

IGI scientists are trying to identify the right microbe -- the one they hope to genetically alter to supplant methane-producing microbes.

The modified microorganisms will then be tested at UC Davis in the lab and in the animals.

"Not only are we trying to reduce methane emissions, but you also increase the feed efficiency," said Kebreab.

"Hydrogen and methane, they are both energy, and so if you reduce that energy and redirect it to something else... we have a better productivity and lower emissions at the same time."

The ultimate goal is a single-dose treatment administered early in life, since most cattle graze freely and can't receive daily supplements.

The three research teams have been given $70 million and seven years to achieve a breakthrough.

Kebreab has long studied sustainable livestock practices and pushes back against calls to reduce meat consumption to save the planet.

While acknowledging this might work for healthy adults in developed nations, he pointed to countries like Indonesia, where the government is seeking to increase meat and dairy production because 20 percent of children under five suffer from stunted growth.

"We can't tell them to not eat meat," he said.