Israel in the early 1900s planted millions of pine trees to green barren hills, but ecologists later found many native Mediterranean habitats had disappeared beneath them | World News

Massive tree-planting campaigns in Israel, once hailed as environmental triumphs, have inadvertently caused significant ecological damage. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons In thinking about the thick forests that dot the hills around Jerusalem or traversing the rolling green hills of Galilee, we tend to envision the success story of an environmentally conscious effort. This involves dark…

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Israel planted millions of pine trees but what happened next surprised scientists |

During the mid-20th century, large areas of Israel were transformed by one of the country’s most ambitious reforestation programmes. Millions of pine trees were planted to stabilise soils, combat erosion and create forests on previously open landscapes. At first, the initiative appeared to be an environmental success, with barren hillsides becoming green woodlands. However, decades…

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