Current state of wild and feral date palm populations in the Negev and Arava. [Hebrew]

Roy Galili, Ariel  Meroz,  Yuval Cohen, and Guy Bar-Oz

From Forest: Journal of Forests and Open Land Management, 28: 8-19 (in Hebrew).

Date palms are a key species in the ecology of the desert. Populations of date palms have a high capacity for survival, but despite their resilience to changing environmental conditions, they are sensitive to fluctuations in the groundwater level and to the quality of the water around their root zone. The condition of many wild date palms, especially in the Arava, is dire due to the decline in groundwater levels, salinization, and industrial pollution. In this study, we conducted an updated assessment of the composition of date palm populations in the Negev and the Arava. The findings reflect real and immediate risks to wild date palm populations in light of troubling processes of soil and water contamination across extensive areas, particularly in geographic proximity to mining and industrial zones and to agricultural regions.

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