The Jordan River has played a major role in shaping human society as we know it, providing freshwater and fertile soil for some of the earliest civilizations and witnessing the rise and fall of empires. For centuries, the lower Jordan Valley has served as one of the largest bird migration sites in the world, as well as the biologically diverse sanctuary where the flora and fauna of the East African and West Asian continents come together.

Today, the river tells a different story from the life-giving tale it has told for a millennium revealing the devastating impact of human political conflict as Syria, Jordan, and Israel take from the Jordan River without international regulation or waste-management infrastructure. The tension between the riparian nations and the lack of a trilateral water management agreement has allowed for excessive extraction, harmful waste practices, and a tendency to assign blame to others rather than take responsibility for the river’s well-being. As a result, the Jordan River has seen its water flow reduced by 96% over the last sixty years.