Biodiversity of Yatta Protected Area

Abstract

Yatta protected area, which located in the south of Hebron, is one of the most interesting areas of particular interest. It is the first study of this kind in this area. As part of this work, we present in this research a survey of plants and animals in the period from December 2016 to May 2017. The presence of animals and plants is highly rich but faces a number of threats with habitat fragmentation and destruction. The work involved rich animals with 8 species of reptiles, three mammals, more than 60 species of invertebrates,3 species scorpions and 44 species of plants. This is despite the destruction of samples and limited sampling (time, resource constraints). As a result of our analysis, we present six commandments but are very essential for the conservation of biodiversity in Yatta. Include: 1) to prevent hunting in those areas to protect rare species from extinction risk such as gazelles 2) to repair land by means of mountain chains to prevent soil erosion and restoration of what was destroyed by the remnants of settlements; 3) to prevent overgrazing and which has devastating effects on the environment of some species, 4) Establishment of educational centers to raise the awareness of the population to the importance of biodiversity and the need to preserve the environment ,5) To demand that local and international institutions face the danger of the settlements and their waste and the damage caused to the environment by all its components.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Yatta, protected area, occupied Palestinian territories, fauna, and flora.