The State of Israel is characterized by a severe land shortage, which stems from the limitations of the area and the rapid growth rate of the population prevented from rapid development, which is mostly done at the expense of the open areas.
As a result of this, the natural areas in the country have become the main victims of the increase, which causes a reduction in the extent of the area and the fragmentation of the remaining areas.
This is manifested, among other things, in the reduction that took place during the last decades in the area of the humid habitats in Israel from about 180 thousand dunams to only about 10 thousand dunams.
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One of the best-known examples of this reduction can be found in the project to dry up Lake Hula and the marshes, however, in the coastal plain area, additional marshes were dried, winter pools were damaged or disappeared, and neighborhoods were built across the area of the streams without any thought of the direct consequences for humans, such as increasing the risk of flooding.
On top of that, natural water sources were damaged and polluted to the point of damaging groundwater reservoirs.
Sunrise at Polg Egg, photo: Yotam Leonard - Society for the Protection of Nature
As a result of all this, the natural ecosystem, with all its flora and fauna, was severely damaged.
The humid habitats, known as important stopping points in bird migration, have been reduced and damaged, which may harm the migratory bird species and their chances of success in completing the migration.
"Continued damage will lead to increased extinction of species"
The Society for the Protection of Nature points out that climate change and the loss of the broad biological diversity that relies on the humid habitats oblige the government to establish a clear goal of preserving all the humid habitats that have managed to survive so far - and to act on the prohibition of the construction of roads or infrastructures that would cross the habitat and damage it, among Whether in cutting or in the drying process.
"Continuing damage to the habitats will only lead to increased extinction of species on the one hand and damage to the security and health of the residents on the other," says Dana Tavacnik, director of the stream restoration unit at the Society for the Protection of Nature.
"Wet habitats are known as carbon dioxide absorbers that may contribute to reducing global warming, as well as rain absorption areas during extreme events, and therefore their preservation has a direct value to humans."
A European rose in the Polg swamp, photo: Yotam Lenard - Society for the Protection of Nature
According to Dror Boymel, Director of Planning at the Society for the Protection of Nature, among the many struggles concerning humid habitats in Israel, two stand out - the struggle in the Naaman stream and the struggle in the forest pool and the Hadera forest.
The first one was damaged and neglected, but in recent years they are working on its restoration.
Close to it is the nature reserve Ein Afek and Ein Namfit, which preserve moist habitats along the length of the stream.
This gem serves as a refuge from the crowded cities and is a home to endangered species.
Forest Pool and Hadera Forest, located between Highway 4 and Highway 2 south of Hadera, are part of a sequence of diverse open areas (Hasharon Park National Park, Nahal Alexander, Hadera Forest, Forest Pool and open agricultural areas) consisting, among other things, of moist habitats, including Forest Pool and Nahal Alexander.
"The natural restoration potential is high"
Due to the area being lower than its surroundings, it is characterized by floods in the winter months, which also flood the forest areas.
As a result, the area is characterized by many diverse wet habitats that hold many natural values and many species that are in danger of extinction.
Despite all this, Netibi Israel wants to move a road as a continuation of road 9 that was established in recent years to the east of the area, and to connect it to road 2.
Hadera Forest Pool, photo: Omri Selner - Society for the Protection of Nature
So what needs to be done in order to preserve and restore the winter pools?
According to Dr. Idan Barnea, an eco-hydrologist at the Nature Conservation Society's stream restoration unit, the water regime in the area and the length of time that it will exist in the pool are the main element that determines its proper existence, therefore the area of the pool and the water supply area and their quality are critical to the preservation and restoration of the winter pools.
"For this purpose, the development of buildings or infrastructure in the area of the pool should be prevented so as not to harm the feeding area, both in terms of ensuring the quantity of water and in terms of water quality. If there are hazards in the area, measures can be established to reduce and prevent pollution such as sedimentation ponds, biofilters, buffer zones and green basins," he says.
"In humid areas," says Dr. Barnea, "the natural restoration potential of the vegetation is high, and for the most part the natural vegetation of the winter pool will thrive again if the infrastructure is restored and the invasive species are removed from it.
Therefore, it is especially important to treat invasive species through manual work as much as possible, and in any case to avoid the use of pesticides - and the same goes for animals typical of winter pools, such as aquatic invertebrates and amphibians, which are likely to return to populate the pools after the infrastructure and water regime are restored The rehabilitated winter".
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