Man-made Eilat reefs ‘planted’ with coral
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

Talkbacks for this article: 2

Ben-Gurion University experts have started “planting” corals on artificial reefs off the coast of Eilat to lure divers away from fragile natural reefs that have been unintentionally damaged due to excessive underwater visits there.

The project, taking place from Monday until Friday this week, is being led by Dr. Nadav Shashar of BGU’s BA program for marine biology and biotechnology in Eilat, with cooperation from Prof. Zvi Abramsky of BGU’s life sciences department, Dr. Arik Diamant from the National Center for Marine Agriculture and student Omer Pollack. Teenagers are helping by diving and planting corals after school.

They say that the artificial reefs - templates composed of concrete and metal produced in attractive-looking shapes - will serve as a breeding ground for a wide variety of coral species. Called the “Tamar Reef,” the underground coral planting ground will be visited by many divers looking to view the colorful animal life.

“The research challenge in establishing an artificial reef is great and occupies scientists from universities around Israel and the world,” says Shashar. “It is an ecological challenge in which the researcher must plan in advance the elements of the reef’s ecological system and then ensure that an independent ’society’ of coral can survive and thrive. This is part of the innovative concept of preserving nature based on active effort carried out in areas whose coral has been damaged.”

The planning of artificial reefs and of ways to actively preserve them also constitute an important teaching tool for understanding the ecology of coral reefs, he added.

The templates were set down on on the Red Sea bed by the National Nature and Parks Authority last April. Since then, the area has been populated by fish and invertebrates and has attracted divers. It has also captured the interest of the world press and foreign researchers.

Since it takes years for natural reefs to be settled by coral, the BGU researchers set up a coral “nursery” to grow the young creatures under optimal conditions to spur more rapid growth. These corals are now being planted according to an exact plan to turn the concrete and metal structures into active and vital reefs. Shashar said his team learned a lot about how to initiate and promote coral growth from Jewish National Fund experts in reforestation.

The project, run jointly by academia and the nature authority, is funded by the US State Department’s USAID-MERC and the Whitely Foundation in the UK as part of an Israeli-Jordanian cooperative effort.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411421975&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

————————

Rare bird is sighted in Jerusalem
Published: November 5, 2007

Flying north for its annual fall return to the colder regions of the northern hemisphere, an eyebrowed thrush took a wrong turn and found itself in Jerusalem at 6 am on Sunday.

The thrush was identified at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory of the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel’s Urban Wildlife Site by head ringer Shay Agmon.

“This is a mega-rarity,” said Amir Balaban, co-director of the observatory, which is located near the Knesset in Givat Ram.

It was the second time an eyebrowed thrush (turdus obscurus) had been seen in Israel. The first sighting was in Eilat in 1996, and Balaban doubted the bird would be seen in Israel again in his lifetime.

The eyebrowed thrush is not an endangered species in its preferred cold habitats. It is commonly found in the Indian subcontinent, East Asia, Siberia and the taiga (coniferous forests) of the far north, but is rare in the Middle East, Western Europe and the United States.

“It probably joined local song thrushes when it got lost,” said Balaban.

Song thrushes are common winter birds in Israel. Though similar, song thrushes are a “duller version” of the eyebrowed thrush, which is “known for its bluish-gray back and chest, lemon-colored lower mandible, smooth ochre-chestnut upper chest and belly and its trademark beautiful white eyebrow,” Balaban said.

Netted at the observatory’s Bird Monitoring Station, the thrush was trapped, banded, measured, weighed and promptly released. The eyebrowed thrush will face many dangers on its journey, including “feral cats of the Middle East, hunters and lots of uncontrolled pesticides.”

“We crossed our fingers and hope for its safe return,” said Balaban. “It will have to be a very lucky bird.”

Aside from being a thrill for Israel’s birders, 25 of whom “jumped out of bed at the Rare Bird Alert” sent out Sunday morning, the eyebrowed thrush’s presence signals success on the part of the Society for the Preservation of Nature.

“The appearance of rare birds is an important indicator of [the] quality of an urban wildlife site,” said Balaban. “It proves that if we preserve important bird areas in the city, they will be used by both common birds and rare ones.”

http://goodanimalnews.com/bird/735-rare-bird-is-sighted-in-jerusalem.html