| Adjusting to different habitats (Mediterranean, semi-arid, coastal plain) the flora and fauna are represented in all their diversity. Over 2,800 species of plants have been identified here on a comparatively small area. In the last century there were still large wooded areas, but they were sacrificed when the railway was built and wood was required for it. Today, fruit trees (olive, almond, orange, apricot …) dominate the countryside while wild species such as pine, cypress, carob, acacia and turpentine trees are limited to certain regions (in the Galilee and on Mt. Carmel), on the edges of villages and in wadis.
The vast wild desert or semi-desert mountainous spaces are a refuge for various wildlife species of which some can be observed in the wadis in the early morning or at dusk. The Nubian ibex (Capra ibex nubiana) and the Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) are common on the hills of the West Bank. In Wadi Araba, another gazelle (Gazella gazella) and the rock daman (Procavia capensis), a member of the marmot family, are amongst the most numerous and accessible animals. Predators also exist here: wolves (Canis lupus) are common in uninhabited areas, panthers (Panthera pardus) make their home in the arid mountains of the South Hebron Hills, and striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) live near remote villages where one sometimes hears their laughing cry.
The Olive Tree
The supreme symbol of Palestine, the olive tree symbolises the deep connection of Palestinians to their land and has a primordial place in Palestinian agricultural activity. The cultivation of olive trees and the production of oil have been recorded since Neolithic times; ancient jars containing olive oil dating from 6000 BC have been discovered in Jericho. In the ancient city of Ekron (Tel Miqne), over a hundred olive presses dating from the Iron Age have been discovered. The production capacity of this city of Philistine is estimated to have been half a million litres of olive oil annually. The very landscape has been sculpted by olive culture, in the creation of terraces to retain rain water. The traditional farming of the olive tree is a way of life as much in the West Bank as in the Galilee.
In the West Bank, about 10 million olive trees cover the hills. Olive trees make up 80% of tree-covered land in the West Bank and Gaza. Olive oil comprises 15%-19% of the Palestinian agricultural output, depending on season. In 2004, 30,000 metric tons of oil were forecast to be pressed from 151,000 metric tons of olives, and 11,426 metric tons were to be processed as pickled olives; the export of Palestinian olive oil to Arab countries has nearly ceased, however, due to movement restrictions. Indeed, of the 277 olive presses in the OPT, only 215 are operating; as a result of the declining economic situation, 62 presses are temporarily closed.
Birds
Ornithologists are advised to bring bird guides with them, as Palestine is undoubtedly an ideal observation post for bird lovers. In spite of its scarcity of land, more than 470 species have been recorded. Thanks to the area’s ecological diversity, various species either live here on a permanent basis or at least part of the year (349 species) or regularly pass through the coastal areas or the Jordan valley (121 species). The region is at the junction of the Asian, European and African continents and thanks to its wide variety of climate and topography, the region is a superb migratory route; ornithologists estimate that up to 500 million birds migrate in the spring and autumn.
Peak migration time is between March 10 and April 20. The West Bank, blessed with many water sources, attracts the greatest number of birds. The Negev desert (Sahara en-Naqab) and the Jordan Valley also attract travellers thanks to their low barometric depressions or air thermals, which make it easy for birds to soar for long distances with a minimum of energy. The migration of storks is particularly remarkable and an impressive sight: Palestine and Israel are on the migratory route of 85% of the world’s stork population. |
