Israel is at the crossroads between Africa, Asia and Europe, resulting in especially high animal and plant biodiversity. Forming the only land bridge between Eurasia and Africa, the area contains a high number of species native to all three continents. Consequently, Israel is classified as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

In spite of its dry climate, Israel also features high plant biodiversity, as it encompasses the Mediterranean, Sahara Arabic, Irano-Turanian and the Sudano-Ethiopian vegetation zones.

Detailed interactive picture collections of all animal and plant life observed so far on the project site can be downloaded at these links: animals and plants. While in most cases species identification appears clear, in some cases, identification may be reliable only to the genus level. We would be grateful for any feedback concerning species identification.

The Negev, with its subtropical climate, holds prominent African and Asian species such as the leopard, the striped hyena and the gazelle, mixed with Eurasian fauna such as the ibex and the wolf. Historically, the area was home to both African and Eurasian megafauna: lions, giraffes and other African savanna species lived together with Eurasian forest and steppe dwellers such as bears, deer and others. The animal life in the area of Project Wadi Attir is surprisingly rich considering the scarce conditions of this largely degraded desert landscape, and the fact that until the emergence of the project, the area was largely devoid of life.

The biggest mammals found in the area are the gazelle, the striped hyena (tracks can be found near the site) and the golden jackal. Project Wadi Attir’s most conspicuous mammal species are the Red Fox and the African hare, with hedgehogs and a variety of rodent species equally present as breeding populations, e.g. the gerbil, the Tristram’s Jird and the Palestine mole-rat (Fig. 1). The latter may become a concern for agricultural activities as it can cause damage by feeding on plant roots. Control will best be achieved by the large number of predators and raptors populating the site. All of these species were recorded in the area before the project began as well, though their density and breeding success seems to be increasing with project evolution.

Fig. 1: The Red Fox and the hedgehog are the most conspicuous predators present at Project Wadi Attir. Both species are established as breeding populations having essential roles in biological rodent and pest control. The African Hare and the Tristram’s Jird (B) are the next largest established breeding mammal species on site. Both are expected to fare well in the diverse agro-ecological system without causing any damage.

The project site’s bird populations and species numbers has rapidly expanded with the establishment of the agroforestry plantations and the enhanced vegetation cover resulting from site fencing, tree planting, and good winter rain in 2013/2014. Before the project began, the only evident breeding songbird population onsite was the crested lark (Galerida cristata). The cliffs along Project Wadi Attir held a breeding population of the bee-eater, but ongoing cliff collapse threatened their breeding holes (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: The Crested Lark and the European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) were the only breeding song bird species present before the project began.

Interestingly, right after the tree planting onsite, much more conspicuous bird species started populating the site. The sparrow immediately took notice of developments and settled down in large numbers near the office building. In 2013, the chukar (Alectoris chukar), the falcon (Falco tinnunculus), and the little owl were noted as regular residents. Those were joined in 2014 by breeding populations of the spur-winged plover (Vanellus spinosus) and the Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) (Fig. 3), all of them successfully breeding onsite in 2014 as a consequence of the significantly improved habitat quality, evidenced by far higher biomass, plant litter and insect populations.

Fig, 3: The Spur-Winged Plover and the Eurasian Hoopoe are two mid-sized bird species enjoying the rich ecosystem created at the Project Wadi Attir site.

Annual bird migrations from Europe and Asia and back represent a major opportunity to observe some of the millions of birds that migrate those routes; vegetated locations in the Northern Negev such as Project Wadi Attir will be immediately exploited by migratory birds for resting or feeding. The beauty and diversity of the Project Wadi Attir ecosystem will create a major tourist attraction for bird watchers and other wildlife enthusiasts, thereby contributing significantly to the essential tasks of project dissemination, education, and community involvement. The increasing number, frequency and timing of passing bird species will be recorded and publicized to evaluate the merit of a seasonal birdwatching program onsite.

As in many semiarid and arid subtropical climates, reptiles contribute significantly to animal biodiversity in Israel and the Northern Negev. However, due to millennia of intensive agricultural exploitation, dramatic losses in habitat quality including vegetation loss and soil degradation have led to dramatic reductions in the number and diversity of these interesting and important species. The reptiles identified so far at Project Wadi Attir are the Rough-tail Rock Agama (Fig. 5), which is commonly seen and breeding at various places onsite. Other small lizard species are frequenting the area but could not yet be documented and classified. The Mediterranean Spur-Thighed Tortoise was seen in the gullies before site development, but the denser vegetation now present makes them more difficult to find. Several unidentified snake species have been observed during the past years, requiring confirmation and identification. It can be expected that the number of reptile species and individuals on site will significantly increase with more plant cover and prey available, as dry shrub and bush vegetation with ample hiding places and food are the preferred habitat of this interesting vertebrate class.

Invertebrates, and specifically insect activity, have been monitored to assess the evolving animal biodiversity onsite. The large number of flowering plants during the 2014 spring months, as well as the relative increase in biomass productivity, gave rise to a larger amount and variety of insects than have been previously observed, including large numbers of ladybugs and their larvae, and dragonflies which have managed to breed in temporary ponds (Fig 6).

Fig. 6: A ladybug larvae (left) and a dragonfly (right), major players in pest control in the insect world. The ladybug is the major predator to aphids, while the dragonfly will prey on any insect of suitable size. Establishment of healthy populations of these predators will create biological controls to pests threatening the agricultural system.

Fig. 8: Other pollinating insects such as beetles are of equal importance for maintaining a functioning ecosystem.

Fig. 9: Insect species such as beetles and grasshoppers play important roles as decomposers of biomass for recycling dead organic matter and nutrients.

So far, clear differences in the extent of ant activity were observed in 13 differently-treated research plots (Fig. 12). More detailed and extended studies are underway to correlate increased ant activity with improvements in other soil, productivity and biodiversity related parameters.

Fig 14: Nests of the harvester ant species Messor arenarius, Messor ebeninus and Cataglyphis lividus create significant quantitative soil enrichment effects. Kilograms of organic matter-enriched soil dumps and plant litter dumps (right) reintroduce, concentrate and redistribute essential nutrients and soil organic matter (left, measured as % soil organic matter, SOM) to create islands of fertility in areas of otherwise poor soil.

Only ongoing continued observation will permit the establishment of statistically more significant trends in those observation parameters, population sizes and species numbers independent of climatic variations, whereby the expected higher observation frequencies will be taken into account. While the increase in insect numbers may be related to higher plant productivity due to above average precipitation in 2014, the clear and significant increase in bird numbers and species is to a large extent a direct result of the significantly increased habitat diversity.

Animal Biodiversity Summary

Table 1 relates an impression of changes in the observation of animal biodiversity from before the project start (2007 – 2011) until February 2015, listing the various species and classes observed in terms of estimated, or actual, quantitative parameters. The parameters listed in the table are:

Project Wadi Attir lies near the intersection of all four of Israel’s vegetation zones, thus the local flora is composed of members of all four zones. Furthermore, the site is located at the transition from the Yattir Hills (South of Hebron Mountain) to the loess planes of the Northern Negev. The project site protects parts of all of these habitats (Fig. 15), which are characterized by diverse and distinct plant communities (Fig. 16). Surprisingly, some of the flat, repeatedly-tilled loess areas evolved into highly diverse plant communities, boasting species never before noticed onsite. Those areas will be protected and excluded from development, as they are becoming extremely rare in the Northern Negev.

Invasive or toxic weed plants

So far, only very few plants have been identified onsite that could interfere with its agricultural development. Tamarisk and wild tobacco invade the agroforestry plantations and require continuous mechanical removal. Bermuda grass and similar invasive weeds affect irrigated plots. These weeds are expected to decrease in frequency once irrigation is stopped as they thrive especially well in irrigated plots.

The small number of toxic and thorny plants remaining confirms ongoing improvement of the project site towards a rich woodland-savanna-grassland ecosystem evolving in place of the previous hostile and scarce thorn-scrub. Naturally invading sorghum is growing well in some agroforestry terraces, and provides significant biological production potential during summer. A few ornamental succulent species have been accidentally introduced together with nursery plants. Despite such minor invasions, the site, in contrast to many large-scale afforestations nearby, is an authentic Negev ecosystem, featuring attractive native flora of high aesthetic, agricultural and scientific value.

Novel Habitats Created

Size and characteristics of novel protected or agro-ecological habitats, created for the purposes of soil conservation, watershed protection, biodiversity conservation or enhanced agricultural productivity at Project Wadi Attir; 25% of the project site will be dedicated to providing these essential environmental services.

Biodiversity has only recently been recognized as a key pillar in sustainable development. While agricultural development in the 20^th century was built around sterile cultivation approaches involving massive use of pesticides, recent findings indicate that this approach is reducing the resilience and productivity of the world’s ecosystems. Only high diversity of well-adapted organisms in balanced and well-functioning ecosystems are able to provide essential services such as:

• nutrient and carbon fixation by a healthy microbe population in soils;
• watershed protection and soil improvement by trees and perennials;
• pollination services by bees and other insects;
• natural pest control by a wide range of predators, small and large;
• and others.

Enhancement of biodiversity on the project site by means of conservation of selected areas, reintroduction of local vegetation, and the establishment of windbreaks, are therefore at the heart of the project’s objectives. Site design has been dedicated specifically to providing the necessary breeding grounds for all kinds of beneficial organisms, in dense green fence hedgerows surrounding the site, as well as in specifically placed woodlands and organic agroforestry plantations across the area (Fig. 20). This was planned in a permaculture-like arrangement, with multiple ecological and productive functions supporting one another.

Evolution of the project site’s biodiversity has since been specifically assessed for organisms and biological interactions required to establish an adequate ecological balance in this agro-ecological production system.

Pest control:

The most complex and important task of enhanced biodiversity is the control of multiple pests threatening agricultural crops. Microbial pests, nematodes and mites, insect and mammalian pests are all being held in check by a variety of natural enemies that prevent their proliferation to numbers that can cause serious damage. From the very beginning, Project Wadi Attir was designed to contain high densities of biodiversity reserves, agroforestry terraces, green fences and windbreaks, in order to provide the necessary living and breeding space to host a wide range of organisms beneficial for biological pest control.

Some examples of the biological control principles already in place at Project Wadi Attir are:

• Healthy soils. Healthy soils are based on dynamic and balanced microbial and invertebrate activities and are the best defense against soil borne pests. Therefore restoring SOM and soil fertility will immediately cause a dramatic increase in soil microbial diversity, which will suppress spreading of single pathogenic species.
• The fox is the most efficient rodent control agent in the world; a single fox can catch around 5000 mice or other rodents per year.
• The ladybug (Fig. 23) is so successful in aphid control that it has been widely applied as a biological control agent.
• Birds, raptors and owls. Insectivorous birds (Fig. 23), raptors and owls populating the site (Fig. 24) are often the only—and certainly the most efficient—means to maintain a natural balance in our agro-ecosystem, helping to reduce pest numbers to acceptable levels without the need for pesticide application.

Food and fodder plants

Semi-arid and arid ecosystems have been rich in nutritious, high-protein food and fodder plants. Many such plant species have been the origin of crop domestication, and are the basis of successful sustainable livestock herding in the Northern Negev. However, most of these plant species became extinct or extremely rare due to overexploitation by grazing livestock, soil tilling or the deteriorating quality of degraded soils. Therefore, today’s degraded Negev ecosystems are notoriously poor in nutritious annual vegetation and consist predominantly of non-palatable thorny or poisonous shrubs and geophytes that provide little of the nutritional value of the lush annual grasslands of conserved dryland ecosystems. As a result of improving soil and water use efficiency at Project Wadi Attir, high-quality grassland vegetation typical to the area’s conserved ecosystems is starting to return and will contribute significantly to feeding the project’s herd of livestock (Fig. 25).

Fig. 26: several of the edible plants found at Project Wadi Attir that have given rise to today’s crop plants.