Region: Middle East and Africa
The Jewish National Fund (JNF), in cooperation with scientists from the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research of the Ben-Gurion University, from the Agricultural Research Organization - Volcani Center in Bet Dagan, and from the Soil Research Station - Ruppin Institute, Israel, initiated an ecosystem management program in 1990. The aim of the program was to develop ecosystem management of drylands that were under long-term human exploitation, based on integration of ecological understanding and application. The program concentrates on fostering development of ecological landscape management for increasing biotic productivity and diversity.
The program focuses on five questions:
1. What are the processes that control the input, retention and leakage of resources from natural and desertified arid and semi arid ecosystems?
2. What are the effects of the processes of resource flows, in natural and desertified ecosystems, on bioproductivity and biodiversity?
3. What are the consequences of biological interactions on flows of organisms and resources and landscape dynamics?
4. What are the potential management benefits in terms of bioproductivity and biodiversity of manipulations of resource flows and landscape structure?
5. What are the most efficient approaches for sustainable range management in dry lands?
In 1997, it was decided that this would be a long term program, so the sites and their program joined the international ILTER network. The chairperson of the Israeli network is Prof. Moshe Shachak (email: shachak@bgumail.bgu.ac.il). The co-chairperson is Dr. Avi Perevolotsky (avi@ias.agri.gov.il ) and the site manager is Dr. Eli Zaady (zaady@bgumail.bgu.ac.il).
The program deals with three avenues; research, management and education.
The research program focuses on:
1) ecosystem composition, structure, function and processes;
2) ecosystem history and current state;
3) ecological consequences of ecosystem management;
4) biodiversity - the relationships among species, ecosystem and landscape diversity.
The core topics in the DEN program are the effects of natural processes and management on:
1) the spatial pattern and temporal variation of primary production.
2) the spatial and temporal distribution of populations selected to represent trophic structure and ecosystem engineering function.
3) the spatial pattern and temporal variation of organic matter.
4) water and nutrient flows.
5) patterns and frequency of disturbances.
6) spatial and temporal dynamics of functional and taxonomic diversity.
Management emphasizes restoration of areas that have undergone desertification. This had been caused by uncontrolled grazing and clear cutting of woody vegetation. The program utilizes two methods for ecosystem management of desertified areas: 1) controlled grazing and 2) formation of water enriched patches that can support relatively high biological productivity and diversity. The program studies the effects and effectiveness of both methods.
The education program is composed of a number of aspects: 1) demonstration sites where students can observe and track ongoing scientific research, 2) a number of educational plots for student projects, 3) an interactive Internet website where students can be kept up-to-date on the LTER activities and ask questions on issues that may be unclear to them.
REGIONAL COOPERATION
In cooperation with Hebron University and the Environmental Protection Authority of the Palestinian Authority and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), two Palestinian LTER sites were established. The Palestinian sites are at Samoa, about 20 km south of Hebron and Zeef, about 10 km southeast of Hebron. The Palestinian chairperson is Dr. Akrum Tamimi, email: akrum@palNET.com . At this point, at each of the four (Israeli and Palestinian) sites, fully automated meteorological stations have been set up by SNL. The stations transmit data in real time to all ILTER sites. Two long-term research projects are in the process of being set up with the cooperation of Palestinian and Israeli scientists. One project is on the effect of effluent water and treated water on plant communities, and the other project is on the effects of grazing on productivity and diversity.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS
In the Israeli network there are at present two sites on a rainfall gradient, Sayeret Shaked Park at 200 mm average annual rainfall and Lehavim at 300 mm average annual rainfall. We plan on a third station at Sede Boqer under a rainfall regime of 100 mm average annual rainfall. For more details about the research sites, refer to the site information table.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
All data are stored on hard disks and on zip diskettes, accessible through a local network with several Mac and PC computers.
CROSS-SITE RESEARCH
Cross-site research between the Sayeret Shaked and Lehavim sites is aimed at understanding changes in ecological processes in a dry shrub-grassland along a rainfall gradient. Specifically, we ask questions about the relations between patchiness of shrubs and diversity of annual plants, and the similarity and differences in the effect of grazing and landscape management on productivity and diversity.
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
Committee of six members, four researchers and two managers, meets bimonthly to discuss the research and its implementation.
APPLICATION OF DEN RESEARCH
The Network serves students, scientists and managers by demonstrating ecosystem structure and function and practical methods for sustainable ecosystem management for conservation and restoration.
Abbreviations: Dryland Ecosystem-management Network (DEN); International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC); Jewish National Fund (JNF)