Abstract
Vernal pools as temporary wetlands can harbor unique and interesting fauna and flora and are deserving of protection especially when urban expansion, climate change, and other human induced changes threaten them. A small vernal pool near Jinsafut and located in the buffer zone of a protected area of Wadi Qana was noted to have unique fauna and flora not found elsewhere in the West Bank (Occupied Palestinian Territories). Specifically, the Syrian Spade-footed toad (Pelobates syriacus) which was extirpated in Jordan is not found anywhere else in the West Bank. Rare and interesting plants noted include Ranunculus peltatus, Lemna gibba, Eleocharis palustris, Crypsis factorovskyi, Trifolium fragiferum, Arum hygrophilum, and Glinus lotoides. As a result of this work the Environment Quality Authority (EQA) declared this temporary wetland the first micro-reserve in Palestine. The Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability and the EQA engaged with the local community to protect the area.
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Funding
The Royalk Belgian Institute for Natural Science funded the work in the area under grant 2017SO5-2/171. The European Union Peace Building Initiative grant number ENI/2019/412–148 funded the Herbarium and Biodiversity Center at PIBS/Bethlehem University.
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Qumsiyeh, Al-Baradeiya worked on project Design. Handal, Najajreh, Al-Sheikh did data collections. All authors contributed to data analysis and writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Qumsiyeh, M.B., Handal, E.N., Al-Sheikh, B. et al. Designating the First Vernal Pool Micro-Reserve in a Buffer Zone of Wadi Qana Protected Area, Palestine. Wetlands 42, 119 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01644-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01644-5