Prosopis species in Israel, the West Bank and Western Jordan
A number of Prosopis (Mimosoidae) species are known to be invasive and have detrimental negative impacts on the habitats they invade. In Jordan and Israel, since the mid-1900s several Prosopis species have been planted including Prosopis affinis, P. alba, P. articulata, P. chilensis, P. glandulosa, P. juliflora, P. nigra, P. pallida and P. velutina. In Western Jordan, alien Prosopis were introduced during the 1980s and planted along roadsides in the Rift valley and the Rhur. All escaped Prosopis individuals in Jordan have been identified as P. juliflora. In the Jordan Valley, from the Dead Sea to the Yarmouk river, P. juliflora is widespread and occurs along wadi beds, roadsides, agricultural fields and disturbed habitats. The species has also been identified as growing in undisturbed natural dry rocky habitats. In Israel, a number of Prosopis species were introduced into semi-arid and arid regions of the country in the 1960s for ornamental or environmental purposes, and again, those individuals that escaped planted plots were identified as P. juliflora. In Israel, most naturalized populations of Prosopis are found in wadi beds on limestone outcrops as well as in depressions within the loess hilly areas north and west of the city of Beer-Sheva in the Northern Negev. The establishment of Prosopis species in the region can have significant impacts on native biological diversity and the authors of the paper highlight potential impacts on native tree species such as Acacia raddiana, Salvadora persica and Moringa peregrina. To conserve these native species, a control management strategy is needed for Prosopis species in the region which includes the removal of large stands and preventing additional establishment in nature reserves.
Sources
Dufour-Dror JM, Shmida A (2017) Invasion of alien Prosopis species in Israel, the West Bank and western Jordan: characteristics, distribution and control perspectives. BioInvasion Records 7, 1-7.