The Deterioration of Wetland Ecosystems in Wadi Gaza, Palestine

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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin Number 131 November 2015

The Deterioration of Wetland Ecosystems in

Wadi Gaza, Palestine

By: Ayman Wadi Dardona, M.Sc. Limnology and Wetlands Management E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction

Wadi Gaza is situated in the middle of Gaza Strip in the south of Palestine. This

Wadi is one of the furthermost important wadis in Palestine. It extends for more

than 90 km beginning from the western foothills of Hebron Mountains and

Beersheba lands and drain to the west into the Mediterranean. It flows occasionally

during and after periods of heavy rainfalls. The final portion of the Wadi which lies

in the Gaza Strip extends 9 km from the truce line in east Gaza to the coast where it

discharges into the Mediterranean Sea. See Figure (1).

Figure (1): Location of Wadi Gaza wetland

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The width of the Wadi fluctuates from one place to another; and it is at its widest

near its mouth where it forms a wetland or an estuary lake which is the most

important habitat for migratory and resident water birds in the Gaza Strip. The

wetland is bordered by tall emergent plants like Phragmites australis and Arundo

donax. Tamarix nilotica covers considerable areas as part of the maritime influence of

the estuary lake (MedWetCoast, 2003). Photo (1) shows the common reed in the

wetland.

Photo (1): The common reed in Wadi Gaza wetland. By: Ayman Dardona. 16.10.2014

This article deals with the ecological status of this wetland. Generally, wetlands are

lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of

soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil

and on its surface (Cowardin, 1979). Wetlands have great importance and values that

keep the ecosystem working in efficient way. Wetland functions are defined as a

process or series of processes that take place within a wetland. These include the

storage of water, transformation of nutrients, growth of living matter, and diversity

of wetland plants, and they have value for the wetland itself, for surrounding

ecosystems, and for people. Functions can be grouped generally as habitat,

hydrologic, or water quality, although these distinctions are somewhat arbitrary and

simplistic. For example, the value of a wetland for recreation (hunting, fishing, bird

watching) is a product of all the processes that work together to create and maintain

the wetland (Novitski, Smith & Fretwell, 1996).

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The wetland in Wadi Gaza signifies the only riparian and swamps ecosystems in the

Gaza Strip; the only known estuary appears there at the end of the Wadi near the

sea. The main source of water in the Wadi Gaza wetland is rainfall. Wadi Gaza has a

typical semi-arid Mediterranean climate, hot in summer and cold in winter. Peak

months for rainfall are December and January. Since the early 1970s and after the

implementation of retaining dams and diversion schemes by Israel on the upper

course of the Wadi, the volume of water reaching Wadi Gaza began to diminish

considerably, and large flows are restricted to occasional flash floods sweeping

down the Wadi bed in wet years (Awadallah, 2000), and the other source of the

wetland water is the ground water through the fens and seeps. Fens and seeps

receive water from groundwater sources. This means that the water table and soil

surface reach the same height. These wetlands can be fed by an underground water

source and often contain high concentrations of nutrients that stimulate plant

growth (http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/wetlands-

zbcz1308.aspx ) .The nature of soil in the area allows water to be saturated.

Photo (2): A side of the Wadi Gaza wetland. By: Ayman Dardona. 12.10.2015

The Ecological Importance and Values of Wadi Gaza Wetland

The main estuary lake of the wetland contains permanent fresh water which serve as

good habitat for several fauna and flora such as several water birds, frogs, and

freshwater turtles (MedWetCoast, 2003) and several aquatic flora specially Tamarix

nilotica which is the most abundant one; Phragmites australis, Typha, and others. In

addition to this fresh water lake, artificial wetlands have been created where

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untreated sewage is allowed to drain into the current of the Wadi. These backwaters

of the estuary and the sewage lagoons contain shallow waters which support many

wading birds (herons, egrets, ibises, rails, crakes, stilts, plovers, stints, snipes, ruffs,

red and greenshanks and others). Photo (2) shows a side of the wetland. The

wetlands serves as stop over for several migratory birds; and due to the

geographical position of Palestine and the location of the Gaza Strip at the corner of

the land bridge connecting the continents of Africa and Eurasia. The passage of

many migratory birds between the Orient and the Nile valley also takes place

through the Gaza Strip. Thousands of ducks, herons, storks, cranes, flamingos,

waders, raptors, quails, passerines and other birds have been reported to pass

through the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, the wetland has several ecological,

economic, and folkloric importance. Several floras exist in the area. The flora and

fauna in the wetland play integrated role in serving habitats for each other. Common

Reed Phragmites australis is a large perennial reed and is very common in fresh and

brackish water marshes. The species is invasive and produces dense mono-specific

stands. The Moorhen Gallinula chloropus and Coot Fulica atra were common breeding

birds in the reed marshes and they use it as nest material timber (Abd Rabou et al,

2008). Tamarix nilotica is a tall salt and drought tolerant shrub; it forms dense and

extensive mono-specific stands, especially in the central section of the downstream

part of Wadi Gaza. An immense variety of wildlife and domestic species exploits the

dense areas for resting, nesting, foraging and other purposes. The plants are

overexploited for its timber (Abd Rabou et al, 2008). The third most dominant plant

in the wetland is Arundo donax. See Photo (3) below. The Giant reed is similar to the

Common Reed in its ability to establish a large monoculture area. It usually inhabits

moist habitats not far away from the wetland ecosystem of Wadi Gaza.

Photo (3): Mixture of Tamarix nilotica and Arundo donax around the wetland edge. By: Ayman

Dardona. 12.10.2015.

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The plant was observed to harbor an immense variety of wildlife species e.g., the

Egyptian Mongoose Herpestes ichneumon and Moorhen Gallinula chloropus. See photo

(4) below.

Photo (4): The moorhen in Wadi Gaza wetland. By: Ayman Dardona. 12.10.2015.

In addition to this ecological importance, the wetland in the Gaza strip has the

potential to be a site for ecotourism, birding, and scientific research. There were

several studies and experiments around the wetland; the most important was for

studying the aquatic birds; around 49 species of them were recorded (Abd Rabou et

al, 2007), and 219 flora species were recorded in the area (Abou Auda et al, 2009).

These studies show that the wetland is important in terms of biodiversity and

habitats richness. In other fields of scientific research, it is found that the Phragmites

australis in pilot experiments indicate good results in nutrients removal and could be

a way for natural wastewater treatment, and may give an idea of the constructed

wetlands for wastewater treatment in the area of Wadi Gaza. The wetland estuary is

a unique ecosystem; fishes are recorded there and in the wetlands, they move from

and to the sea (MedWetCoast, 2003). This means the potential of aquaculture in the

wetland area.

Discussion of Threats and Actions

Studies show that there is an urgent need to protect the Wadi Gaza and its

surrounding vegetation communities as these habitats contain the highest value for

the flora and fauna. The threats to these habitats are quite severe; Wadi Gaza faces

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many environmental problems that affect the public health and is used as a point to

collect sewage from the middle area refugee camps and as a solid waste-dumping

site. See photo (5) below (http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5722/).

Photo (5): Dumping the wetland in Wadi Gaza. By: Ayman Dardona. 02.06.2015

Through my frequent visiting to the Wadi and specially the wetland, it was found

that the main problem in the site is the direct discharge of the raw sewage to the sea

through the wetlands, this led to the mixing of freshwater with sewage to form

brackish waters and polluted waters with high concentration of nutrients and

sludge; this reduce the ecological function of the wetlands, and decrease the

possibility of recreation in the wetland area. Another threat factor to the wetland is

making it as a dumping site and also burning the trees and dumping the swamps by

the local people in order to solve the mosquitos problem, especially in the summer.

The high increase of nutrients due to the raw sewage made an imbalance in the

ecosystem; this led to the eutrophication due to the huge growth of algae. The

reduction of groundwater and the decline of the groundwater level far from the

surface, and the little precipitation also reduce the level of soil saturation and water

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level in the wetland. Nowadays, few natural parts are still found in the wetlands, but

due to the high stress that it faces, if there are no urgent actions, the wetland which is

the only coastal one in the Gaza strip may be wiped out. Anyway, the instability of

the wetland ecosystems in the Gaza strip did not yet mean the full deterioration of

the wetland, but at least it lost a lot of its function. No real studies yet consider the

carbon accumulations in the wetland, the vegetation degradation, and habitats

degradation. But at least through our frequent tours to the Wadi, it is noticed that

several flora, specially aquatic ones are almost extinct; the most common one of them

is the Shrubby Swamp-fire Arthrocnemum fruticosum, it is a perennial plant which

grows in the shallow saline depressions, where the soil seemed moist and white due

to salt accumulation; this may be an indication of the partial loss of these depressions

and swamps as well in the wetland area. Also if we compare the status of the

Wetland before and after 15 years, it is clear that several aquatic fauna disappeared

due to the disappearance of their habitats. It was in 2004, when I saw the fresh water

turtle for the last time; all indications show that it is vanished, but we cannot endorse

that; also a lot of aquatic birds were not observed since a long period. Though this

deterioration and damage of the ecosystem, some little biota is still around such as

the common toad, little egret, ringed plover, common snipe, cattle egret, black-

winged stilt, Redshank, Sanderling, Gulls, Moorhen, coot, and the Spur-winged

plover. See photos (6), (7) & (8) below.

Photo (6): The common toad in the Wadi Gaza wetland. By: Ayman Dardona.16.10.2014

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Photos (7 & 8): Black-winged stilt in the Wadi Gaza wetland. By: Ayman Dardona. 15.11.2014.

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Urgent actions should be taken to protect and conserve the wetland ecosystem in the

Wadi Gaza and recover its ecological functions, to still serve as good stopovers for

aquatic birds and other fauna. The first step should start from the local people, they

should be part of any plan; they are the most effective stakeholder in any action. A

detailed framework and public awareness strategy should be achieved taking the

local people as main partner. Actually this needs the rebuilding of the institutional

bodies responsible for the Environment sector in the Gaza strip. The local

government should take a part; researchers and ecologists should make several

researches. Lastly, to save what still exists of the wetland is a national and

international responsibility. The disappearance of the wetland may have global

effects in the bird conservation and climate change as well. The migratory birds may

lose their stopovers and paths in their migration and that means it can take another

system in the migration routes. In conclusion, urgent actions and plans should be

taken in order to conserve the biota in the Wadi Gaza wetland and recover the

wetland to function properly, for the sake of conserving biota, environment and

public health.

References and Internet Websites

Abd Rabou, A. F. N.; Yassin, M. M.; M. R. Al-Agha, M. I. Madi, M. M. Al-Wali; Ali, A. K. S. & Hamad, D. M. (2008). Notes on some common flora and its use in Wadi Gaza. The Islamic University Journal (16). 31-63 .

Abd Rabou, Abdel Fattah N.; Maged M. Yassin, Mohammed R. Al-Agha, Dawi M. Hamad and Abdel Karim S. Ali (2007). The Avifauna of Wadi Gaza Nature Reserve Gaza Strip, Palestine. The Islamic University Journal (Series of Natural Studies and Engineering) (ISSN 1726-6807), Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 39-85.

Abou Auda, M. M. Deep, N. Y. & El-Sahhar, K. F. (2009). The flora and plant life forms of Wadi Gaza area, Middle Governorate, Palestine. Proceeding of the 4th Conference on Recent Technologies in Agriculture. November 3-5. Cairo. Giza. Egypt. 201-213.

Awadallah, A. (2000). Wadi Gaza landscape protection area. M.Sc. Thesis, Agricultural University of Norway (NLH), Oslo, Norway. 85 pp.

Cowardin, L. M. (1979). Classification of wetlands & deepwater habitats of the US. DIANE Publishing.

Dardona, Ayman Wadi (2015). The Deterioration of Wetland Ecosystems in Wadi Gaza, Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178-6288. Number 131, November 2015, pp. 30-39. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://gaza-ecosystem.webs.com/

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Dardona, Ayman Wadi Youssef (M.Sc. Limnology) and Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali

Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa (Dr.Sc. Zoology) (2015). Studying Aquatic Birds in the area between the Gaza Fishermen Port and Wadi Gaza Estuary, Gaza Strip, Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 6288. Number 124, April 2015. pp. 22-39. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://birds-of-palestine.webs.com/gaza-aquatic-birds

MedWetCoast (2003). Management plan: Wadi Gaza. Project for the Conservation of Wetland and Coastal Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Region MedWetCoast, 171 pp.

Mother Earth News Blogs. Nature and Environment. http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/wetlands-zbcz1308.aspx

Novitski, R. P., Smith, R. D., & Fretwell, J. D. (1996). Wetland functions, values, and assessment. National Summary on Wetland Resources. USGS Water Supply Paper, 2425, 79-86.

Wadi Gaza Coastal Wetlands, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5722/

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The Deterioration of Wetland Ecosystems in Wadi Gaza, Palestine