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Dar Al-Kalima Nature
Reserve
The Bethlehem region
suffers from increased land confiscations and settlement building
activity by the Israeli government as well as diminishing green areas
that are needed for maintaining the environment of the area. Hence,
environmental projects are of utmost importance to the district, since
they contribute to the protection of certain species and ecological
systems.
The Dar al-Kalima
Nature Reserve is a project that aims to provide a breathing space for
the district as a whole. The location of the project is on Mount
Mureir, a hill located in the south of Bethlehem that was one of
twelve forests in the Bethlehem district. A study on the environmental
profile of the West Bank, conducted in 1995 identified the site of the
academy as a former Bethlehem forest that was cut down. What remain
of this forest today are 90 trees only. The study has pointed out to
the dangerous phenomenon that Bethlehem District is suffering from,
namely the removal of all former forest trees in the district, which
are important to the conservation of the soil and the environment in
general. The Dar al-Kalima Nature Reserve will provide a step in the
right direction.
Moreover, reviving
the plant and wildlife on the site is of particular importance at this
time for several reasons, chief amongst which is the current political
circumstances, where the Israeli government continues to destroy
planted areas in Palestine and to uproot trees that have been there
for hundreds of years.
Goals of the Project
- Turn 10 dunums out
of 26 dunums available to Dar al-Kalima into a nature reserve,
through planting trees and flowers that are original to the site.
- Contribute to the
conservation and improvement of the environment in Palestine as well
as face the problem of desertification through tree planning.
- Create a nature
reserve and gardens for children, women and families from the
Bethlehem area, and with that contributing to lessening the
psychological pressures that they are facing due to the current
situation.
- Found a green
space in Bethlehem area that exemplifies the original environment of
the area, which can be used for educational purposes for the school
children population in the Bethlehem area.
- Contribute to the
enhancement of awareness among future generations regarding the
importance of conserving plants and trees for a healthier
environment.
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