On World Environment Day: PCBS and Environment Quality Authority “Celebrating Biodiversity”
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on the 5th of June since 1972. WED is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. Over the years, it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in more than 190 countries. Thus, the theme for 2020 is “Biodiversity”.
Despite its small geographical area, State of Palestine is characterized by a great variation in topography. This variation is directly reflected on climate and the distribution and diversification of agricultural patterns.
The West Bank is divided into four major geomorphologic parts: Nablus Mountains, Jerusalem Mountains, Hebron Mountains and the Jordan Valley. The mountainous area of the West Bank serves as the main rainfall collection and replenishment zone for the underground water aquifers. This has contributed to the spread of many valleys, springs and artesian wells in these areas.
Gaza Strip is essentially a foreshore plain gradually sloping westwards. In the north of the Gaza Strip, there are four ridges with different elevations ranging between 20 to 90 meter above Sea Level. The ridges are: Coastal ridge, Gaza ridge, the El-Muntar ridge and the Beit Hanoun ridge.
Importance of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is of great importance in many areas of life. The protection of Biodiversity is life insurance for all humanity, which guarantees the stability and balance of environmental systems.
Biodiversity is considered a natural genetic store of species, as it is considered one of the basic principles for the sustainable development of environmental resources. Biodiversity has a scientific importance through the process of developing and improving the food situation in the world, in addition to the economic importance (ecosystem services) and technology, especially pharmaceutical industries and environmental tourism.
