Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., December 22, 2008 Kislev 25, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:23 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

Noah's Ark on Mount Scopus By Zafrir Rinat Tags: Mount Scopus, Israel News  Mount Scopus in Jerusalem is nothing like Mount Ararat, but it contains a Noah's Ark just the same. The deluge did not carry it up there, it does not house any animals and it is not seaworthy. But its basic function, saving wild species from destruction, is something it shares with the biblical ark. Today, this destruction is the result of man's actions as he annihilates plant species by polluting their habitats, destroying them or burying them under concrete and asphalt. The Hebrew University's newly-reopened botanical garden is on Mount Scopus. The structure, which has been closed for renovation, is now more accessible and more inviting. It is also sending out an urgent warning. Advertisement The garden occupies no more than 25 dunams, or six acres, divided according to Israel's geographic habitats, complete with soil trucked in from various regions. The garden boasts more than 1,000 species of Israeli plants. About a quarter are rare, and several dozen are defined as facing extinction. Touring the garden is a pleasurable experience, but also disturbing. The visitor passes by samples of sceneries that are gradually disappearing - along with the plant species they contain, some of which exist nowhere else in the world. Such is the fate of the eolianite ridge, known locally as reches hakurkar, the chromic luvisol (hamra) the costal dunes and the loess soil of the Negev. That is also the fate of the semi-desert bush, with its unique shrubbery, which grows all the way to the edges of the Negev. Nearly every fifth plant species in Israel is under the threat of extinction, mainly because of habitat destruction or segmentation. Some of the rarest plant species, like Israel's indigenous sorrel, the Rumex rothschildianus, have survived only in one small area near the coast. The common corncockle is also in this garden. In the wild it has survived only in one part of the Golan Heights. The seeds of these plants and others are preserved in the garden and can remain fertile for many years. In the future, they may serve as the nucleus for a reintroduction project. Average Israelis who want to live in a house in the country and drive their SUVs wherever they please may wonder about the significance of the sorrel in their lives, and just what they stand to lose from its disappearance. Actually, those people should wonder what they care about the coastal dunes or winter ponds, and all the other views and areas that make Israelis love this land, that make them want to go and spend time outdoors. Do those Israelis care if their children never get to see all that beauty? The small botanical garden in Jerusalem is every Israeli's opportunity to realize that the renowned success of the campaign to protect flora from flower-pickers was actually very partial. True, Israelis arrive in masses to habitats full of anemones and cyclamens without significantly harming the plants. The problem is that these plants are not rare and grow in protected areas. The humbler plants, which have survived to this day on their evolutionary ingenuity, are quietly disappearing - mostly outside nature reserves, abandoned to their fates. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Madoff not welcome Members of exclusive N.Y. synagogue lose collective $2 billion in Madoff scam. Under threat Shin Bet chief says Hamas rockets can hit outskirts of Be'er Sheva.

Read & React Gideon Levy: Israel must talk with Hamas Responses: 68 Hamas mulls renewal of suicide bombings in Israel Responses: 86 Senior U.S. lawmaker: Limit Iran talks to no more than 3 months Responses: 50 Israel, Arab states at odds over first UN gay rights declaration Responses: 53 Diplomats: Assad says he won't restrain arming of Hezbollah Responses: 39 More Headlines 00:14 Israel kicks off global PR campaign to recruit support for Gaza raids 01:16 Damascus: Talks with Israel only after U.S., Israeli elections 00:32 Shin Bet chief: Hamas rockets can hit outskirts of Be'er Sheva 23:13 Russia denies supplying Iran with missiles capable of repelling Israeli air strike 20:27 Members of exclusive N.Y. synagogue lose collective $2 billion in Madoff scam 21:49 Polish president celebrates Hanukkah with historic visit to Warsaw synagogue 19:20 Abbas: Hamas' abuse of religion for political end is unacceptable 20:29 Want to help improve the Haaretz.com homepage? 18:47 Jaffa mosque daubed with 'Mohammed is a pig,' 'Death to Arabs' 18:45 Key Obama backer, confidante Alan Solow tipped to head U.S. Jewry's top body 00:47 IAF air strike destroys two rocket launchers in northern Gaza Strip 18:46 Livni: As prime minister, I will topple Hamas regime in Gaza 03:30 Amos Gilad, the man in charge of Israel's security 03:37 Diplomats: Assad says he won't restrain arming of Hezbollah 18:10 Ravaged Mumbai hotel reopens three weeks after deadly siege 04:08 ANALYSIS / Budget will decide whether Israel attacks Iran Previous Editions Select Day 21 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec 16 dec 15 dec 14 dec 12 dec 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec 08 dec

Special Offers Advertisement Summer in Israel Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009 SURF RAMBAM Keep current about new-wave medical care, education and research. Summer Camp in Israel The best place for your children this summer Academic Studies in Israel All the Q & A at the IDC HERZLIYA Open House, January 9,2009 Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Car rental in Israel Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates. Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved