צל עץ תמר – סקר מצב אוכלוסיות התמרים בנגב ובערבה (מאילת ועד חוף אשקלון) | In the Shadow of the Date Palm – Survey on the Status of Date Palm Populations in the Negev and Arava (from Eilat to the Ashke

Ya’ar, 2025, June, #28.

https://www.kkl.org.il/forest_online_journal_yaar28/

Roi Galilee, Ariel Maroz, Yuval Cohen, Guy Bar-Oz 

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a hydrophilic plant that naturally evolved in moist environments within desert regions. The palm’s high tolerance to soil and water salinity, unique familial structure, and reproduction via both sexual and vegetative means confer a high degree of resilience on date populations. Yet, date palms are sensitive to fluctuations in groundwater level and water quality near their roots. Human-created threats, along with climate change impacts are common across the southern Levant and imperil the region’s springs and the remnants of wild date and associated animal and plant populations that rely on them for shade. The study provides an updated assessment of the composition of date palm populations in the Negev and Arava. Our findings reflect real and immediate threats to wild-date palm populations due to soil and water pollution, especially near mining, industrial, and agricultural zones.

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