Abstract:
This study evaluated the effects of different land reclamation practices (treatments) on
vegetation characteristics in semi-arid to semi-humid conditions of the southern part of
the West Bank, Palestine. For each treatment, the study evaluated the vegetation above
ground dry biomass and plant density.
Results showed that above ground biomass increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) by 80 %
and 45 % and plant density by 15% and 52 % in stone terrace plots and semi-circle bund
plots, respectively, compared to the natural vegetation (excluded grazing) plot. In addition,
grazing significantly reduced (P ≤ 0.05) the amount of dry biomass by 36% and
plant density by 37 %. Our results indicated that the use of afforestation as a management
option should be planned carefully for restoring the provision of ecosystem services
of rangelands and that the type of trees should be considered when it is practiced.
Pinus halepensis is not recommended for conservation of natural vegetation diversity.
It was concluded that management decisions can have substantial influences upon vegetation
diversity and production. Therefore, using simple water harvesting techniques
and excluding grazing, for a period of time, may be key to increasing vegetation dry
biomass and plant density, while at the same time conserving natural vegetation.
