The re-birth of the Mediterranean Landscape

The local eco-system of Israel was radically transformed in less than a century, from a rural and diverse landscape into a homogenous one. The industrialized transformation did not happen because of natural reasons, but it was politically driven. It left no space for details, or exceptions. The beautiful cultivated terraces were abandoned, the mixed Mediterranean farming and its natural irrigation were destroyed in favor of the Cypress, and the Pine of Alp, which have the ability to adopt itself to the Mediterranean climate.

The current monotony of the landscape is not surprising, nor accidental. The pines have an extraordinary ability to grow fast, and to occupy territory, preventing any other species from growing, while at the same time looking natural and electric green. The pine kills the productivity of the eco-system, and destabilizes it for the long run. It invades space, and acts against biodiversity. Eventually, it creates a monotonic, banal, nude, hard and dry landscape.

One of the most serious problems with the Pinus Halepensis is, that it mutates itself with heat, and fire. It is a pyrophile active species. Its cone protégé initially seeds with fire, and dispersing its seeds with heat. As such, it invades, and substitutes the rest. After a fire incident, it is difficult to return to a previous normal climex. For example, in the south east of France 25,000 ha of Pine of Alp trees were planted. Nowadays, it grew, against the wishes, to 190,000 ha.

The Mediterranean landscape is characterized by diverse rural eco-systems. A co-existence of several structures based on intensive mixed farming, which is adjustable to the dry, hot summer and to the soft, rainy winter.

All around the Mediterranean basin, on the low hills, there are plains of mixed farming; a smart and natural irrigation system can allow the culture of annual plants: indigenes, or acclimates, European or tropical, as well as, subtropical shrubs like the orange tree; the waste lands are used for the pasture: maqui, guarrigue, or matorral – a typical formation of the Mediterranean basin, which can be interpreted as decay of the original oaks , due to surpaturage - an intensive grazing by animals, for example, cattle, sheep or goats, on an area of pasture. It characterized by xeric formations on a calcareous ground, that can be found also in Ein Hawd.

The KKL (Keren Kayemet Le’Israel) should slowly start diversifying the country landscape before it is too late, starting in Ein Hawd.

In the case of Ein Hawd, both the wadi’s slopes were replaced with the Pine of Alp. In order to increase the value of land, and repair the eco system, a slow return to climex (drill of Quercus Ilex) should take place. However, due to the fires that took place in the area, not just other species were eliminated, but the naked ground suffered from severe erosion which is now limiting the revegetalization.

The old bond to the Mediterranean culture can be re-introduced in Ein Hawd. The village is placed on a beautiful site with terraces, and some old olive trees. Its natural conditions can, and should, allow diversity. Thereby, the local natural beauty can re-emerge, and unify the landscape with the regional basin.

The re-plantation of Ein Hawd’s gardens, and terraces, will generate an almost Tuscan landscape. It’s not a nostalgic, or folk project, but a contemporary and innovative one. It should be elaborated through a dialogue with the inhabitants, their needs, and the limits of the context. The terraces can replace the small inner garden and provide the villagers with an occupation, working their grove, their fruit trees, and the vegetables fields. The profound knowledge of agriculture that the villagers have can be used to develop an agro-tourism market.

The local old way of working the land has an extraordinary natural value. It can restore the old eco-system, and bring back sustainability to the land. It is after all a botanical project.

The following series of drawings, and illustrations, demonstrates how the transformation can take place, and how Ein Hawd’s area should look in the long run.