My favorite place to stay in Israel is Villa Tehilah, Rosh Pina in the Galilee region of Israel. A beautifully restored, 120-year old property originally belonging to the Rothschild family, it has a magical atmosphere of private beauty and peace. I’ve been there with family, with friends, and alone. Others here on Green Prophet have […]
Once part of the urban horizon, crows are leaving Iranian cities. Since the 1980s scholars have studied the influences of urbanization on the environment, particularly the ecosystem. The rapid growth of the urban population and especially the lifestyle of the urban dwellers have undeniable effects on the life of living species and plants. Birds are […]
Tiny pieces of plastic invisible to humans is likely behind the death of thousands of Mediterranean mammals, turtles, and fish. Maurice once speculated whether the Mediterranean has a plastic waste situation comparable to that of the Pacific, an issue particularly sensitive to our favorite eco-hunk David de Rothschild. His hunch – informed by empirical evidence […]
Despite this water fountain in Kurdistan, water there is scarce. This is not how poor Iraqis perceive their own shortages. We have long suspected that in the coming years, as climate change and population expansion put pressure on natural resources, conflicts will arise. The ongoing Egyptian protests demonstrate how repressed rage eventually surfaces when autocrats […]
Iranian Hawksbill turtles are the most adventurous international travelers. See where other turtles like to roam. Like people, Hawksbill turtles aren’t all domestic homebodies. Some – like me – prefer a more nomadic lifestyle. At least, this is what researchers have discovered Hawksbill turtles in the Persian Gulf. In recent years, the Hawksbill’s population has […]
Abu Dhabi leads the Gulf Region in environmental innovation. This time, a desert forest irrigated with treated wastewater. Last year we were somewhat alarmed that the UAE had ambitions to plant one million trees. Even though the carbon sponging benefits are potentially enormous, the water required to keep said trees alive might have overwhelmed the […]
How green is your fodder? Turns out, in the UAE, not so green. A new program aims to change that. In order to combat the dual challenge of desertification and regional water shortages, the United Arab Emirates are experimenting with myriad innovations. The latest encourages local farmers to switch to a different variety of fodder. […]
Can countries with unrest commit to eco-tourism aspirations? With countries across the Middle East – North Africa (MENA) region facing often fatal unrest like the food riots in Tunisia, it seems rather frivolous to be thinking about the travel industry. But with tourism a major earner for many Middle East & North African countries, the […]
The Sea of Galilee is known for its tempestuous storms and thriving fishing industry. But life there is changing with less rain and almost no fish left. The lowest in the world and Israel’s only freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee is fed by the Jordan River and supplies much of the region’s water. Famously […]
Despite their protests, Nubians near Aswan fear that development projects will eventually dispossess them of their land. Long before the recent string of North African riots – in Tunisia and most recently Egypt – the Nubian community south of Aswan on the River Nile have resisted projects they say threaten a way of life depicted […]
Karl Ammann (center) explains why wildlife trade in the Middle East goes unregulated. In 2007, Karl Ammann appeared on Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment List, and for good reason. Since discovering 2,004 smoked primates and 1,000 fresh carcasses on board Zaire river boats in1988, he has devoted his life to exposing both the bushmeat […]
The campaign to stop the destruction of 2,200 trees in Jordan’s Ajloun forest gathers pace as the government states it now will assess the environmental impact of the proposed development project In response to the demands of the ‘Halt Ajloun Deforestation’ campaign, the Jordanian government announced it will now carry out an assessment of the […]
Once the “King of the Jungle,” lion populations have plummeted by 90% in the last decade. After contracting a curable illness, fourteen lions at the Tehran zoo were killed. The Jam-e Jam daily reported that the lions had contracted glanders, a sometimes rapidly fatal disease caused by the bacteria Burkholderia mallei, which is common among […]
Iran is home to two of the world’s largest deserts. But the country needs better planning to block these deserts from growing. Desertification threatens biodiversity and reduces productivity capacity of land. Most of the land of Iran is located in arid and semi-arid climates and most of Iranians live in the most livable places outside […]
Is Hiriya Israel’s national eco-symbol? It looks more that way Although the just completed Tu Bishvat celebration in Israel included many tree planting ceremonies, especially on the site of recent disastrous Carmel Forest wildfires, Israel’s annual Arbor Day for 2011 had more emphasis on “greening” former landfills, such as the Hiriya garbage mountain, east of […]
These two babies Monk Seals were rescued after 48 hours of floating on a stormy Mediterranean Sea Development is rampant all along the Mediterranean, whether in Egypt, Israel, or Lebanon, where scuba divers find no life. But building projects in Turkey put additional stress on Mediterranean Monk Seals (Monachus monachus) already listed by the International […]
The answer to climate woes for pines and and maples may be blowing in the wind. Sad news so soon after the Jewish New Year for the trees: Many tree species might become extinct due to climate change if no action is taken in time: This is the conclusion of a new research study from […]
New species of sea cucumber, found in Atlantic Ocean at depth of 2,700 feet. A newly concluded Census of Marine Life, covering most of the world’s seas and oceans, has discovered over 1,200 new species of sea creatures. The ten year study, completed in October, 2010, was composed of 3,000 scientists from 80 countries, including […]
Jisr al Zarka, as seen from Tenenim Stream estuary Anyone visiting Israel’s remaining coastal Arab town, Jisr al Zarka may notice almost immediately how different it is from its more affluent neighbors, Caesarea and Kibbutz Maagan Michael. For Jisr al Zarka, a town of almost 13,000 inhabitants, does not have a bank or ATM machine, […]
Masdar - the Eco-city - is home to the hottest and most energy efficient transport system in the world: The Personal Rapid Transit (pod car). The PRT is fast, powered by lithium batteries, driverless, can carry up to 10 people safely and looks oh so beautiful in the gleaming sun... Check out more here.
Violators of the new recreational fishing ban in Southern Sinai will be tracked and prosecuted. At the end of last year, a spate of shark attacks left three tourists injured and one elderly woman dead. What caused the sharks to act so contrary to their nature is still under investigation, though the situation appears to […]
Planning out your vacations for the new year ahead? Beirut, Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi make the cut. A few months ago, world-renowned travel guide company Lonely Planet made a list of its top 10 cities for 2011. Tel Aviv made the prized 3rd place spot (after New York and Tangier, but before Valencia, Delhi, […]
Archaeologists in Fujairah at working against the clock to save the UAE’s precious rock art. Without an historical record, our future would seem shallow. A future sans identity. A future that lacks the benefit of hindsight to inform important decisions. Because ancient relics – fossils, petroglyphs, and architecture – shed light on our origin, they […]
These women began their epic 10,000 mile biking for transboundary conservation journey in Istanbul. Following their own footsteps down an entirely different path, best friends Kate Harris and Melissa Yule left Istanbul to continue a year-long tour of transboundary protected areas (TBPAs) along the Silk Road. With concern that these outlaying ecosystems are especially vulnerable […]
This Imperial Eagle is one of several species in Turkey that face extinction. Birds accustomed to breeding and rearing their young in healthy wetlands are being pushed out as lakes dry up and agricultural and industrial activity take precedence. And reptiles. And mammals. Even humans are being displaced as accelerated drought and fire sweep through […]
