Agricultural practices introduced by early settlers replaced native flora with flammable European species like eucalyptus, increasing regional wildfire risks. Following the 1967 occupation, natural resource management was militarized, allowing Israel's national water company to redirect essential supplies away from Palestinian towns to settlements. Ongoing actions, including pesticide spraying and settlement expansion, further accelerate land erosion alongside massive losses of mature olive groves.
Key points
Non-native tree species and altered waterways have heightened the severity and frequency…: Non-native tree species and altered waterways have heightened the severity and frequency of wildfires across the region.
Martial control established over resources in 1967 continues to deprive Palestinian resid…: Martial control established over resources in 1967 continues to deprive Palestinian residents of critical water access.
Intensive vegetation removal and ongoing settlement construction have triggered widesprea…: Intensive vegetation removal and ongoing settlement construction have triggered widespread soil degradation and erosion throughout the territories.
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For all its green-washing, the Zionist state has ecologically devastated Palestine more than anyone else.
A month into this year’s olive harvest season, Israeli settlers and soldiers have already damaged or uprooted 4,500 olive trees in the occupied West Bank. Since January, they have destroyed 100,000 olive trees. In Gaza, since October 2023, 97 percent of Gaza’s two million olive oil trees have been wiped out. Between 1967, when Israel occupied Gaza and the West Bank, and the 2010s, it had destroyed more than 800,000.
I think of the devastating sight of uprooted trees in my grandfather’s olive grove every time I hear news of Israel sending yet another delegation to a climate, biodiversity, or desertification conference to boast of its “unique expertise” in “making the desert bloom” – a myth it has long propagated.
The destruction of olive trees is just one aspect of Israel’s broader war on the Palestinian land, from its vegetation and soil to its water and ecosystems. Since the Nakba of 1948, Israeli colonial policies have extended beyond land seizure and the displacement of its…
Regional authorities are rolling out strict compliance checks to bar vehicles without valid emission clearances from purchasing fuel at local filling stations. The crackdown addresses deteriorating air quality across the National Capital Region, where pollution levels have plunged into very poor and severe ranges. Motorists found operating without required documentation risk severe statutory fines under transport laws.
Researchers confirmed the first natural reproduction of native European flat oysters at a British recovery site following a hundred-year absence. Led by academic, environmental, and corporate partners in the Dornoch Firth, the initiative aims to revitalize crucial marine habitats that suffered historical collapse from intense Victorian-era harvesting. Restoring these natural water filters could dramatically boost seabed biodiversity while informing roughly twelve similar ecological efforts nationwide.
The National Parks Board is expanding green corridors across the coastal town alongside upcoming residential and infrastructure projects. These tiered roadside plantings are designed to link natural habitats, lower street temperatures, and improve local livability. The initiative will progressively add themed botanical corridors to connect existing parks and residential developments.