جوانب المعرفة البيئية للمواطنين حول وادي غزة

Wadi Gaza with its wetland is a unique ecosystem in Palestine, having historical, aesthetic values and harboring a diversity of wildlife species concerning fauna and flora, thus it was declared as a Nature Reserve in 2000. To assess some aspects related to Wadi Gaza ecology and protection, 120 people were selected randomly to fill a questionnaire especially designed to conduct the current study. The findings of the sampled population suggested a high environmental awareness towards the biodiversity of Wadi Gaza and the anthropogenic activities threatening its health and sustainability. The majority of participants (93.2%) knew the exact origins of Wadi Gaza and 83.5% were able to guess acceptable definitions of the term "wetland" and to mention some positive and negative values of the wetland ecosystem of Wadi Gaza. Although 79.2% of the participants defined the term "biodiversity" with words indicating species diversity, only 4.1% of them gave scientific definitions and the majority (82.5%) demonstrated that Wadi Gaza is rich in biodiversity. The hazards threatening biodiversity and the ecological integrity of Wadi Gaza were pointed out by 86.7% of respondents to include wastewater disposal, solid waste landfiling, mis-use of pesticides, illegal hunting, over-grazing, over-cutting of natural flora, residential and agricultural expansion on the expense of Wadi Gaza and its natural habitats and the destruction of ecological habitats particularly the wetland. The poor implementation of environmental laws and legislations and the various military operations imposed by the Israeli Occupation aggravate the ecological situation as well. Accordingly, the majority of respondents (91.7%) ensured the importance of implementation of environmental laws and legislations to conserve and protect Wadi Gaza and its biodiversity. Finally, the researchers recommend improving cooperation of different parties to rehabilitate and conserve Wadi Gaza in a sustainable manner and to enhance public awareness towards biodiversity protection in Palestine.Wadi Gaza with its wetland is a unique ecosystem in Palestine, having historical, aesthetic values and harboring a diversity of wildlife species concerning fauna and flora, thus it was declared as a Nature Reserve in 2000. To assess some aspects related to Wadi Gaza ecology and protection, 120 people were selected randomly to fill a questionnaire especially designed to conduct the current study. The findings of the sampled population suggested a high environmental awareness towards the biodiversity of Wadi Gaza and the anthropogenic activities threatening its health and sustainability. The majority of participants (93.2%) knew the exact origins of Wadi Gaza and 83.5% were able to guess acceptable definitions of the term "wetland" and to mention some positive and negative values of the wetland ecosystem of Wadi Gaza. Although 79.2% of the participants defined the term "biodiversity" with words indicating species diversity, only 4.1% of them gave scientific definitions and the majority (82.5%) demonstrated that Wadi Gaza is rich in biodiversity. The hazards threatening biodiversity and the ecological integrity of Wadi Gaza were pointed out by 86.7% of respondents to include wastewater disposal, solid waste landfiling, mis-use of pesticides, illegal hunting, over-grazing, over-cutting of natural flora, residential and agricultural expansion on the expense of Wadi Gaza and its natural habitats and the destruction of ecological habitats particularly the wetland. The poor implementation of environmental laws and legislations and the various military operations imposed by the Israeli Occupation aggravate the ecological situation as well. Accordingly, the majority of respondents (91.7%) ensured the importance of implementation of environmental laws and legislations to conserve and protect Wadi Gaza and its biodiversity. Finally, the researchers recommend improving cooperation of different parties to rehabilitate and conserve Wadi Gaza in a sustainable manner and to enhance public awareness towards biodiversity protection in Palestine