Partnerships between the Managements of Cranes (Grus grus) and Kinneret Water Quality Protection in the Hula Valley, Israel

Abstract

The historical habitat of swamps and a lake in the Hula Valley was modified during the early 1950’s. The Swamps and the old Hula Lake were drained and the land was converted to an agricultural development. As a result of inappropriate cultivation, it was necessary to once more implement management improvement. It was done within the Hula Project. Part of the Hula Project was a modified usage of 10% of the area previously used for agriculture for eco-tourism. Independently, thousands of migratory Cranes attracted by peanut crop leftover started wintering in the valley. These bird flocks significantly improved the management objective to ensure prevention of nutrient flux into Lake Kinneret. Consequently, the partnerships between Kinneret water quality protection, nature conservation and agricultural utilization of the peat land is presently operated. Migratory wintered Cranes is a factor of management stability accompanied by costly artificial feeding for bird in a dedicated land block to prevent damage to adjacent crops.