Enjoying the blossom on a trip?

Good, these are the plants that are about to disappear from Israel soon

A new report reveals the status of endangered plant species in Israel over the past decade.

Although 95% of them are protected, they are still threatened by extensive development at the expense of open spaces.

Most of the damage is in the Jezreel Valley and the Lower Galilee

Ziv Reinstein

21/02/2022

Monday, 21 February 2022, 07:00 Updated: 07:14

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All about the daffodil blossoms (Photo: Avi Ben David, Gila Yaakovi Gurevitz)

Many are now going out into the blooming nature and enjoying the winter bloom and soon spring.

But quite a few of the beautiful plants you enjoy are in serious danger of extinction.

A new report produced by the Nature and Parks Authority in collaboration with the "Landmarks" program in the Heritage Division of the Jerusalem and Heritage Department and published today (Monday), reviewed the endangered plant species in Israel and the variety of actions taken over the past decade, between 2011-2021. .

According to the report, written by Merav Lebel, Dr. Margareta Wolczak, and Dr. Tami Keren-Rotem of the Science Division of the Nature and Parks Authority, although endangered plants are more protected - 95% of them are currently on the list of protected species compared to only 16% in a decade Previous - However, extensive development in the country at the expense of open spaces continues to affect the condition of plants and will be required accordingly to update the list of protected species every few years.

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Poppies bloom with lush benefits in the area of ​​the Besor River Reserve (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Margareta Wolczak)

Extensive development in the country threatens our rare flowers.

The crimson iris in Hof Hasharon National Park (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Tami Keren)

413 endangered plant species in Israel

The report states that today most endangered species in Israel are represented and grown in at least one nature reserve or national park - which is protected from harm by law - or in at least one area belonging to the JNF, and therefore provides protection under National Outline Plan 1 (formerly NAP 22). Forest and forestry).

64 species do not grow in one of these areas, however about two-thirds of them are not in immediate danger because they grow in the area of ​​a deposited or proposed reserve.

These species, as well as species in serious danger of extinction or a significant deterioration in their condition in the wild, have been identified as important growth sites throughout the country, which are promoted with individual conservation programs with the consent and cooperation of the bodies and local communities and communities.

According to the report, the ecosystems in Israel, which are particularly rich in endangered species, are: alluvial valleys (created by alluvium), tea groves and Mediterranean shrubs, sands and light soils in the coastal plain.

However, the proportion of protected area in the habitats in these systems is very low, so it is very important to increase it by giving priority to the declaration of nature reserves in ecosystems that are not sufficiently represented.

According to the report, declaring nature reserves or national parks in areas of importance to plant species is the best way to preserve them.

The report notes that in the years 2018-2013, each of the 44 endangered endemic species in Israel was monitored and their distribution areas were updated to assess the size of their populations.

Most of these species grow in endangered habitats.

The types of habitats in which the endemic species were surveyed are: moist habitats;

Her daughter, her life and a Mediterranean grove;

Habitats in the coastal plain (kurkar, sands and hamra);

Habitats in heavy soils and areas in traditional agricultural cultivation;

Habitats in the Negev and Ramon Crater;

And desert habitats.

The other endangered plant species in Israel were also surveyed to update the list of endangered species and long-term planning for the conservation of each and every one of them.

, written more than a decade ago, is the basis for the plant conservation policy and for prioritizing its treatment.

The red list was updated according to the surveys of endangered species and their condition, and thus 413 endangered plant species in Israel were defined in 2019.

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Heavy and deep soils in the traditional cultivation in the Beit Netofa Valley (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Margareta Wolczak)

Anemones in the Balfouria grove - a habitat for plants of heavy soils (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Margareta Wolczak)

In Israel, there are only 56 endemic plant species

The report shows that the heavy soils in the valleys are the most damaged habitat since the 1990s.

Most of the damage to the heavy soils is in the Jezreel Valley and the Lower Galilee and the main causes of damage to this habitat are development operations, road construction and intensive agriculture.

Following the damage, the distribution and number of populations of perennial endemic species, which grow only in this habitat, decreased and they became very rare.

As for the species in Batya and the Mediterranean forest, the report notes that their populations have been severely affected by their size due to repeated fires, overgrazing, forestry, orchard agriculture and the expansion of settlements at the expense of open spaces.

Another habitat that is expected to be severely damaged in the coming years is the desert habitat of the Heles plains in the northern Negev.

This is due to a large-scale construction and development boom that is also expected to expand in the coming years.

The report states that according to the Red Book, 56 endemic plant species grow in Israel, which is less than 3% of Israel's vegetation.

43 grow only in Israel and the rest are sub-endemic species whose main distribution is in Israel.

40 of them are endangered, and four new species endemic to Israel have been added to the red list following new discoveries about the country's vegetation.

Israel has a special commitment to protect the endemic plants that grow in it and do not appear anywhere else in the world, so the Nature and Parks Authority decided to give them priority in conservation actions.

Among the endemic and endangered species of Israel:

and more.

According to the report, the main danger to endangered endemic species in Israel is the development of infrastructure and the destruction of habitats.

Thus the report indicates that it is necessary to represent certain habitats in protected areas and emphasizes this interest.

As noted, under-representation in protected areas of heavy soils, sands and light soils in the coastal plain and loess areas poses a heavy threat to them.

Of the endemic plants endangered to Israel.

Garlic Galilee in the Nahal Hatzor Nature Reserve (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Margareta Wolczak)

He is also in danger.

Aircraft acid (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Yariv Malihi)

Actions to return to nature

Meanwhile, according to the report, in the last decade, 54 endangered plant species have been returned to nature in Israel.

Restoration is the planting or sowing of a species in its known range and including these components: confirmation of a declining natural population, planting at a site that had a previously extinct population and planting at a new site where the species did not grow in the past but is in its range.

Another possibility is the establishment of a population outside a known distribution range of a species or intermediate state of artificial growth in an area similar to the natural habitat.

An example of this is the growth of populations of brown iris in Tel Be'er Sheva and Tel Arad, or of the population of Tongue Taurus in Mamshit.

Restorations to nature are carried out, among other things, for research purposes, to improve the conservation status of endangered species and as part of habitat rehabilitation.

Monitoring some of the recovery areas indicates that the chance of recovery success increases when repeat returns are made to or to several sites.

The encouraging statistic is that the planting of 45 species out of 54 was absorbed in the first year at least one site, and 31 species of them (57%) were able to establish at least one site.

This is according to monitoring results of three years or more.

Disappearing.

Gilboa Iris (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Sharon Goldson)

Endangered in the desert.

Ramon saffron in the Har Hanegev Nature Reserve (Photo: Nature and Parks Authority, Yedidya Shmuel)

Preservation of plants outside nature

The report also details the extensive complementary actions for the conservation of endangered plant species, which are also done outside of nature.

Their goals are to back up the natural populations, their genetic conservation as well as species reproduction, whose products will be used to return to nature.

Growing wild plants in facilities also allows them to be presented to the public in educational and outreach activities.

Today, 346 species grow in botanical gardens, which are about 80% of the endangered species.

The other 88 endangered species are not suitable for growing in botanical gardens because they need unique breeding conditions.

75% of the endangered species are preserved in the National Park of Flora of the Land of Israel at the Volcanic Institute.

Most of the shelters and shelters for plants are located in nature reserves and national parks, including the Hula Reserve, Ein Afek, Ein Gedi, Einot Tzukim and the Tzipori, Arbel, Kochav Hayarden, Baram, Tel Hatzor, Nabi Samuel, Mekorot Hayarkon Chai Ramon and more.

They are a source of seeds and seedlings for restoring the nature of species around them and are used to confirm depleted local populations as well as to restore natural habitats typical of their immediate environment.

Today, 114 endangered species grow in the shelter gardens and plots, which are about 26% of all endangered plant species in Israel.

In order to preserve the scenic diversity and diversity of species, the Nature and Parks Authority cultivates plant shelters and performs in nature reserves and national parks interface operations of thinning vegetation, mowing erupting species and grazing, simulating the traditional influence of man on nature.

Some of the interface actions to support endangered plant species populations are dedicated and tailored to their biological requirements.

In the areas of nature reserves and national parks, the Authority carries out restoration operations to return the habitats to their natural structure as much as possible, along with individual restoration of the vegetation.

However habitat restoration takes years, and there is a need for accompaniment in interface and monitoring operations.

Meanwhile, this report is published in the middle of Nature Conservation Week, which the Nature and Parks Authority is marking this year with wildflowers and endangered plants.

As part of this weekend (February 25-26), the public is invited to visit the 20 information and information stations that the Nature and Parks Authority will operate near flowering centers in national parks and nature reserves throughout the country, and to receive information about hiking trails and wildflowers. For the preservation of flowers and nature and familiarity with the professional work of the Protected Species Authority.

For information on the locations of information stations.

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