Forests in Palestine

IUG Journal of Natural Studies, 2018

Gaza is the main city in the Gaza Strip, having a variety of urban green spaces such as public parks, community gardens, and cemeteries. These urban ecosystems have never been studied for their woody components (trees and shrubs). Accordingly, the current study aims at identifying and recording the woody components of some selected urban green spaces. Three public parks and gardens; namely the Gaza Municipality, Barcelona, and Al-Azhar, were selected to carry out the current study. Frequent visits, observations, and discussions with stakeholders were carried out during a six-month study (October 2016 – March 2017) to satisfy the purpose of the study. A total number of 50 tree and shrub species belonging to 26 families and 14 orders were identified and recorded. The Gymnosperms included 4 species (8.0%) only, while the Angiosperms were represented by 46 species (92.0%), of which monocots were represented by 4 species (8.0%) and the dicots by 42 species (84.0%). The Fabales was the b...

Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 2009

Forest management (silviculture) is a long-established applied science, but also a field whose sustainability and ecological implications have been questioned. In this paper, we present the basic features of commercial forestry together with a review of novel approaches for ecologically oriented forestry. The "new forestry" advocates for multiple-species and structurally complex forests, and is directed toward a diverse array of objectives (ecosystem function, biodiversity conservation, wildlife habitats, visual quality, nutrient recycling, water retention, soil productivity, carbon sequestration, and amenity values), in addition to the provision of classic economic forestry commodities.

2019

The Gaza Strip, which has a population of about 2.0 million and an area of about 365 km2, has many higher education institutions. The green quadrates, corridors and gardens of these institutions are commonly cultivated with many horticultural plants including trees and shrubs that provide many environmental, health, and aesthetic values. The Palestinian universities of the Gaza Strip have never been studied for the composition and numbers of their trees and shrubs. Therefore, the current study aims at identifying and recording the trees and shrubs prevailing and enhancing the ecology and environmental health aspects of the main campus of the Islamic University of Gaza (MC-IUG). Frequent surveys and observations were carried out during a six-month study extended from February, 2018 to July, 2018 in order to identify and totally count the trees and shrubs existing at MC-IUG. A total number of 2248 trees and shrubs belonging to 53 species, 25 families and 16 orders were identified and ...

Journal of Landscape Ecology, 2014

The geographic location of Israel and the Palestinian Authorityon the border between Mediterranean and desert climate, and the strong topographic and geomorphological variation resulting from its position on the Great African Rift Valley, combine to sustain a great diversity of landscapes in a very small country. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the protected areas in Israel and the Palestinian Authority adequately represent the range of landscapes and ecosystems in the region. Altogether, we defined 23 natural ecosystem-units in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, of which 17 are terrestrial landscapes and 6 are aquatic systems. In considering the adequacy of coverage in protected areas, we mapped Israel and the Palestinian Authority landscapes according to a set of environmental factors (climatic, geomorphological, geological and botanical) that we believe most effectively distinguish landscape types in this region. When the separation between adjacent units rel...

Nineteenth-century Palestine lacked forest. Botanical analysis of construction timber in houses built in Palestine during the nineteenth century found mainly imported wood from the East Mediterranean region up to the late-1870s and—later on— from Europe. The foreign timber might point to changes in the political situation in Palestine, as well as to changes in international commerce. The origin and social economic condition of the builders might also be reflected through the timber they used in the construction of their buildings in Palestine. An architectural tradition of timber building has developed in those regions of the world which were covered by forests. Wooden houses were dominant in pre-industrial Europe and North America, as well as in the Far East, where varied examples of timber buildings still exist today. Contrary to the vast use of timber for construction in forest zones, in semi-arid and arid regions, such as Palestine, where forests were few and far between, people normally used other materials for building: stones, bricks and mud. The absence of tall, straight trees suitable for roofing resulted in small and narrow dwelling houses. Large constructions therefore demanded the importation of timber from abroad. In a previous and more restricted study concerned with nineteenth-century Jaffa, [1] we found that most of the construction timber came from the northeast Mediterranean area (Lebanon or Turkey) and Europe. The amount of foreign wood in those buildings led us to enlarge the study area, and examine the use of imported timber in the nineteenth-century buildings which still exist all over Palestine. Identification of the origin of the timber, using historical and botanical methods, tracing its dispersion in the country, and examination of the periods in which it was in use, could help to shed light on the international timber trade of Palestine at that time, as well as to date building complexes where written documentation is unavailable. Buildings and builders At the beginning of the nineteenth century, western Palestine lacked forest trees. [2] The hills and the coastal plain were covered by bushes and herbaceous plants. The forests described by European travellers were maquis and garigue regions dominated by small oaks (Kermes and Mt. Tabor oaks), terebinths, and lentisks. [3] Most of the mountain regions which are covered today by man-made forests were barren lands until the beginning of the twentieth century. [4] The intensive, organized afforestation of Palestine began about 70 years ago, when the country came under the control of the 262 0305–7488/95/030262+12 $12.00/0

Journal of entomology and zoology studies, 2017

Nature reserves are an important component of the strategy to halt biodiversity loss caused by habitat fragmentation and loss, climate change, and other anthropogenic factors. The results of our study showed that: (1). Palestine currently has 50 nature reserves covering approximately (511.58 km2), 9% of the West Bank region area. These reserves were established for a variety of reasons often unrelated to the protection of biodiversity. In the year 1999, the Ministry of environmental affairs proposed the establishment of Wadi Gaza wetland reserve, which is the first nature reserve was declared by the Palestinian legislative council. The smallest nature reserve has an area of (0.01 Km2), and the largest has an area of (85.59 Km2). The Palestinian nature reserves institutional framework, either out of date or not covering all aspects of nature reserves and emerging issues at the national level More scientific approach is needed to effectively re-establish and manage nature reserves in ...

A study of the changes in the vegetation on Mt. Carmel from 1945 demonstrated that the local pine forest was mostly a result of invasion of pine seedlings into abandoned grazing and agricultural lands. Degraded oak woodland (Quercus calliprinos Webb.) with scattered Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) trees have developed into a multispecies, multi-aged heterogeneous pine forest composed of large old trees (the founders) with a dense understorey of broad-leaved trees and shrubs, small younger trees and clearings.

PARKS

Palestine is part of the Fertile Crescent and known to be rich in faunal and floral biodiversity relative to its latitude. The South Jerusalem hills with their ancient villages (collectively called the Al-Arqoub cluster) provide ideal areas for conservation within the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. The area was listed on an emergency basis as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. This study assessed the biodiversity and threats, and the data was used to designate it a protected area by the Environment Quality Authority (EQA). We documented 417 plant species, 15 fungi, 105 birds, 3 amphibians, 12 reptiles and 31 mammals. Threats to this rich biodiversity included harmful agricultural practices, overexploitation, construction of Israeli settlements, urbanisation, habitat loss, land fragmentation and limited enforcement of laws. Management plans were established and began to be implemented for the site with the aim of biocultural conservation. Four marginalised communities around the valley system (Al-Walaja, Battir, Husan and Beit Jala) benefited through: a) environmentally friendly agricultural production for 81 farmers, b) developing and empowering women in eco-friendly production and marketing, c) enhancing ecotourism, d) implementing an ecosystem restoration model and e) education and capacity building leading to behaviour change. Based on IUCN criteria, we consider 'Al-Arqoub' as a vulnerable ecosystem worthy of enhanced protective status and, based on our studies, the EQA designated it as a protected area category VI (protected with sustainable use of natural resources). Protected area management in Palestine follows the new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030) in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This grassroots, cross-disciplinary endeavour to protect this area serves as a model for other protections in a region with economic and political instability.

Israel Journal of Plant Sciences, 2009

Sclerophyllous oak forests are an important ecosystem type of the natural vegetation in the Mediterranean region. As a part of the mosaic-like landscape, old-growth oak forests, in particular, provide a wide range of ecosystem functions and services. However, due to the general scarcity of older forests in the Mediterranean region, studies on structure and dynamics of oak forests are mostly restricted to younger stands. The aim of this study was to analyze stand structure, dead wood, and natural regeneration of an old Quercus calliprinos forest in northern Israel (nature reserve Ya'ar Bar'am) and to compare the results with those reported from other evergreen Mediterranean oak forests. The mean density of trees was 735 ha -1 , and the mean basal area amounted to 25.0 m 2 ha -1 . The mean tree height was 6.6 m, and the maximum tree height was 13.2 m. The mean dead wood volume was 11 m 3 ha -1 . The sapling density ranged from 1,050 to 6,250 ha -1 . We conclude that Bar'am Forest is of great value for conservation biology. Moreover, this nature reserve has the potential to be a reference for ageing oak stands in current discussions on sustainable forest management.