A Lachish-region area designated to become a nature reserve sustained major damage after an army training exercise ignited a fire there last week.

A total of 25,000 dunams were damaged. This is twice the area damaged in the Shaar Hagay blaze a decade ago, and nearly equal to the total amount of land burnt in the Galilee during the Second Lebanon War.

The fire consumed large areas of natural woodland that contained low bushes and annuals.

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The army has extensive training grounds in the Lachish region and in Beit Govrin. Conservation officials claim training exercises spark several devastating fires every summer.

Last week, the army attempted to handle the situation itself and called in firefighters only when the blaze got out of hand - and the damage had worsened, preservationist sources charged. The IDF has not responded to the allegation.

The fire occured primarily in an area known as the Gomer Hills. This area has tremendous importance ecologically and is home to a vast array of birds, reptiles and mammals, said Asaf Meroz, of the birdwatching center at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, which is surveying the area for the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA).

Five endangered bird species nest there, as do raptors such as the short-toed eagle. The nesting density of the short-toed eagle here is the world's highest, according to birdwatcher Ezra Hadad. Winter brings to the area two bird species in danger of global extinction, the pallid harrier and the imperial eagle.

After the fire, INNPPA officials toured the area to assess the damage. They found charred carcasses, including of several turtles and predator chicks, but many animals apparently escaped unscathed. The primary damage was to the habitat itself. "Such incidents might severely impact the migrating bird population," Meroz said.