Photo credits: Shai Pilosof
The “Syrian Demoiselle”  (Calopteryx syriaca) is a Damesfly which used to be widespread along the Jordan’s shores. Today it can only be found in a few sites of the Rivers’ banks.

Adnan, FoEME, and biodiversity. Adnan Budieri’s interest in ecosystems and aquatic life goes back to his childhood next to the sea. His early fascination for the sea, fish and corrals brought him to wetland conservation and marine biology studies. Working as the head of research survey for the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Adnan met with Israeli and Palestinian environmentalists in Taba 1994. It was this first meeting, and the will to put in place an enduring structure as opposed to another ephemeral project, that gave birth to Ecopeace, later to be called Friends of the Earth Middle East.

After working as the Regional Director of Birdlife International and Director of the Mediterranean Wetland Initiative, Adnan has now recently joined the Amman offices’ permanent staff. Guided by his knowing hand, we will explore the past and present of the Valley’s biodiversity.

Biodiversity loss. In an area once covered entirely by sea, the formation of the Rift Valley created unique habitats and led to a high specification in all taxa (be it plants, aquatic life, birds, or mammals). Even if more in-depth research is lacking in this field, the Jordan River therefore offers a high degree of endemism, meaning that some of its species can only be found in the Valley and nowhere else in the world. This makes number of species extinction in the valley all the more concerning.

The number of large mammal like cheetahs and gazelles went back as early as the 17^th century, and disappeared at the beginning of the 20^th century with the introduction of guns and motorized vehicles facilitating hunting. Since the middle of the 20^th century and the beginning of massive water diversions, aquatic ecosystems have been seriously affected: of 28 fish species initially recorded in the Jordan River, only 8 can still be found today. Habitat destruction also endangers migratory birds, the valley being a major migratory flyway between north and south. Overall, it is estimated that the valley has already lost 50% of its biodiversity.

FoEME’s and Adnan’s role in biodiversity conservation. Identifying a problem is not enough: to be addressed it needs to be defined in detail. The first step Adnan is taking with scientists from Israel and Palestine is therefore to build an ecological status of the river and estimate the level of ecological destruction. One thing is known already: today, 98% of water of the river has been diverted, to allow for functioning ecosystems in the valley and ensure the preservation of the Valley’s species, at least 1/3 of its water has to be returned to the River. Working on the “how” is at the heart of FoEME’s work.

For more details on the current state of the Jordan River and FoEME‘s vision for a rehabilitated Jordan River see our 2010 Environmental Flows report.

Please visit FoEME’s website for more information about our Jordan River Rehabilitation Project.

- This post was contributed by FoEME intern Nora Müller. Nora is based in FoEME‘s Amman office.

Also called “dual flush,” double flush toilets are equipped with a lever or set of buttons that allows users to choose between two water settings. A larger flush, usually about 6-9L, is designed for solid waste, and a smaller flush, usually about 3-4.5L, is designed for liquid waste. By using a smaller flush when possible, double flush toilets generate water savings. A double flush toilet can save 20,000 L of water each year compared to a single flush toilet. That is about the same amount of water used for a family-sized swimming pool.

Double flush toilets are becoming increasingly common in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine—good news for our water-scarce region. You’ll find them in restaurants, hotels, and even the homes of your family and friends. However, you must use double flush toilets correctly in order to save water. There are many different designs of double flush toilets on the market, and buttons and levers come in all shapes and sizes. It can be difficult to figure out which button or lever to use, so FoEME offers a few tips to help minimize confusion.

Tip #1: Look at the size of the buttons or levers. Most small buttons indicate a small flush, and most large buttons indicate a large flush. The photos below give some examples:

However, the small button actually triggers a large flush in some cases. If the small button is completely inset inside the large button, it indicates a full flush, as in the example below.

Tip #2: Look at the images on the buttons or levers. For example single rain drop indicates small flush, while several rain drops are for a large flush. Similarly, a half or small circle triggers a small flush, while a full or large circle is for a large flush.

Before each use of a restroom in a new place, pay attention to the buttons or levers to make sure you use double flush toilets correctly.

By implementing water saving measures and decreasing demand for water in the region, our water supply will be less strained and natural resources like the Dead Sea and Jordan River will experience less exploitation. Great impact can come from a simple flush.

- This post was contributed by FoEME intern Emily Hylton. Emily is based in FoEME’s Amman office.

Following the French Parliament’s Report on the policies of water allocation in the West Bank, Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director of Friends of the Earth Middle East, says: “The report highlights the tremendous importance of promoting a solution acceptable to both peoples on the issue of water. On the other hand, instead of igniting the region on an issue where it is clear that an agreement can be reached, the governments need to urgently advance a solution that would serve the interests of both sides – meeting the water supply needs for Palestinians, as well as management of sewage and wastewater that affects the Israeli side.

Nader Khateeb, Palestinian Director of Friends of the Earth Middle East, adds: “The present arrangement of the Oslo-Joint Water Committee has failed terribly. We need to reach an agreement that allows the Palestinians to secure their water rights that will ensure a fair share in the transboundary groundwater and surface water resources, and to jointly manage these shared water resources on both sides of the Green Line, according to the Model Water Accord put forth by Friends of the Earth Middle East“.

The Model was prepared for the organization by water experts, Dr. David Brooks and Dr. Julie Trottier, who specialize in the water aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A first draft of the Model was published in November 2010. The Model suggests a new system of joint management of all shared water sources between Israelis and Palestinians, in a way that allows for a more balanced and fair allocation of this important resource for the benefit of the Palestinians, and with an emphasis on environmental interests – preventing over-pumping and sewage pollution – that would benefit both sides.

For more information, contact:

Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director, Friends of the Earth Middle East: +972-52-4532597, gidon@foeme.org

Nader Khateeb, Palestinian Director, Friends of the Earth Middle East: +972-59-9606544, nader@foeme.or

The purpose of this tour was to update the environmental hazard map by using advanced GIS technology. Such environmental hazard maps deal with water contamination issues and are constructed by the participating GWN communities, which seek to advance cross border understanding and cooperation over shared water issues. The community’s involvement in creating GIS maps is one more step in raising local awareness about the state of the environment in general and water issues in particular.

In Wadi Fukin, where the tour started, the planned tunnel underneath road 60 that was supposed to lead to El Hader was left undone by the Israeli contractors. For more than 5 years this has created a hazard to the residents as they cannot cross the gravel road with their car and are forced to make a big bypass. The Israeli Civil administration was approached several times on this matter but as off now the Civil administration does not feel responsible for fixing this infrastructure and requests the local Palestinian community to cover the costs. The entire area around became an abandoned waste side. Furthermore, there is building waste from the construction of Beitar Elite along the terraces as well as waste and dirt behind the school and in the surrounding fields, which endangers the groundwater.

On the way to Nahalin, construction waste is scattered all along the road, even before the waste dump at the entrance to Nehalin welcomes us. We are examining the Ein Fares spring, which is contaminated by sewage leaks from the Israeli settlement above, Beitar Elite. In addition to these leaks, house and construction waste from the settlement is destroying the landscape and hence, the water.

After Nahalin, our trip continues to Husan. There we witness that all springs are contaminated by local sewage. The sewage from local cisterns is the cause of high morbidity. Also the water systems are old and in bad condition.

Finally we are arriving in Batir, the last stop of our hazard tour. The area of Batir, as well as of Wadi Fukin, have high values of cultural landscape and they are due to become part of Palestine’s Tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is the best preserved and continuously managed cultural landscape of its type in all the West Bank; A heritage which needs to be protected.

Summarizing the tour, the two main types of hazards that we found were either unauthorized solid waste disposals or sewage spills from the nearby Beitar Elite settlement. The information gathered will be put on the GIS map and will help to further develop a database that will support future activities to resolve these environmental hazards.

For more pictures of the area click here and for more information on Environmental Peacebuilding Theory and Practice with an In Depth Analysis of the Wadi Fukin / Tzur Hadassah Communities click here.

Photo Credit: Copyright Eddie Gerald/ Pixmedia. This stunning photograph is part of FoEME‘s Jordan River Photography Exhibition, to learn more about when and where to see the exhibition click here.

In Romania Epiphany is celebrated all over the country, waters are blessed and purity and cleanliness are celebrated. Many people fill bottles with the blessed water and believe in its miraculous ability to heal and protect from diseases. After blessing the waters, Priests throw crosses into the lakes and rivers. Several men jump after those crosses and try to catch them as they believe doing so will earn God’s blessing and give them good luck throughout the coming year.

This year in Florida at Tarpon Springs’ annual Epiphany celebration 60 boys were selected to dive into the springs to retrieve a wooden cross thrown into the waters by a priest. Here too, it is believed that the one who finds the wooden cross earns God’s blessing.

This makes me think. What would this tradition look like in today’s Jordan…

Visualizing people jumping and diving in the Jordan River, I thought back to my last visit to the river with US Ambassador to Israel Shapiro several weeks ago and immediately a feeling of disgust overcomes me. The images I recall are alarming and difficult to describe in words. Therefore, here are some photos taken at Alumot dam to aid your imagination.

South of the small earthen Alumot dam, there is not much left of the world-renowned and once mighty Jordan River. Israel, Syria and Jordan have all diverted its upstream waters for domestic and agricultural uses, leaving precious little fresh water for the river and its once thriving ecosystem. Diversion of over 98 per cent of its fresh water, in addition to discharge of large quantities of untreated sewage, threatens to irreversibly damage the river and the whole Valley. With Israel, Syria and Jordan, each grabbing as much clean water as they can, it is ironically the sewage that is keeping the river alive today.

FoEME has been fighting for years to protect the right of pilgrims to be baptized safely in the Lower Jordan River through the removal of pollutants and release of fresh water into the river’s banks.

“Entry to the water is Prohibited!” Sign at the Kaser el Yehud Baptism Site, March 2009.

Certainly the Epiphany celebration at the Jordan River would be a nearly impossible and a potential health risk to the ceremony’s participants. The divers are well advised not to open their eyes and even if they would, in the polluted waters any cross would be impossible to find. It is hard to imagine that this polluted river could serve as a symbol of purity – quite the opposite effect of protecting and healing people.

To learn more about FoEME‘s Jordan River Rehabilitation Project click here.

- This blog was written by Josef Wenninger, Intern at the FoEME Tel Aviv office.

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Youth Camps

December marked the conclusion of a series of Ecobuilding Youth Camps hosted in Sharhabil ben Hassneh Ecopark as part of the Good Water Neighbors project. The youth camps aimed to develop skills that empower youth to build “ecofacilities” which they will construct in their own communities in the coming year, teaching them to reduce their environmental impact while also catering to their needs, and promoting mutually beneficial relationships with all elements of the local ecology.

The series of camps allowed participants to interact with youth from across the region. Youth were able to understand more about their neighboring people and communities and the common challenges they face. Participants also had the chance to learn about FoEME’s rehabilitation and restoration efforts in the Sharhabil ben Hassneh Ecopark and about the problems facing the Jordan River and the Dead Sea and how Sharhabil ben Hassneh Ecopark serves as a model for the region.

Cross border experts meeting – Gilboa and Jenin

A 2-day cross border meeting was held on December 18th – 19th between expert hydrologists, planners and engineers from the Good Water Neighbors communities  Gilboa Regional Council (Israeli) and its neighboring Palestinian community, Jenin. The group toured the Kishon stream; the water resource shared by both communities, and discussed possible models for the rehabilitation of the upper part of the stream. For a case study, they visited the Alexander River, where they learned about similar cross-border stream rehabilitation efforts, and ended with a tour of the Gilboa Regional Council’s Neighbors’ Path.

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U.S. Ambassador tour of the Jordan River

On December 20th, FoEME was delighted to have the opportunity to take U.S. Ambassador, Dan Shapiro, on a tour of the Lower Jordan River, and to highlight rehabilitation efforts that have taken place, several of them resulting from the work carried out by the USAID-supported Good Water Neighbors project. The day included a visit to the new Waste Water Treatment plant being built at the Jordan Valley Regional Council, near the Sea of Galilee, which will soon remove pollutants from the River, as well as a visit to the proposed “Jordan River Peace Park”, an initiative supported and endorsed by mayors from the GWN project communities on both sides of the River.

Cross border meeting – Tsur Hadassah and Wadi Fukin

On December 22nd, FoEME led a “hazard tour” in the vicinity of 4 Palestinian villages of Wadi Fukin, Batir, Hussan & Nahalin. The group of Palestinian mayors and residents, together with activists from the Good Water Neighbors partnering community in Israel, used GPS data to document the status of various environmental threats. Overall, the two main types of hazards that were found were either unauthorized solid waste disposals or sewage spills from the nearby Beitar Elite settlementThe information gathered will be put on a GIS map and will help to establish a database that will support future activities to resolve these environmental hazards.

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FoEME presents GWN evaluation methodologies in Washington DC conference

On December 7, Orlee Rabin, Regional Management Coordinator for FoEME, presented a case study of the Good Water Neighbors project monitoring and evaluation strategies at the first ever “Peacebuilding Evaluation Evidence Summit” organized by the Alliance for Peacebuilding and the United States Institute for Peace. The FoEME case study was one of 9 unique projects chosen for in-depth examination to showcase organizations’ most successful efforts at evidence-gathering and evaluation.

The Good Water Neighbors project is supported by USAID, SIDA, the Belgium Foreign Ministry’s Peace Building Desk, the EU Partnerships for Peace program, and the Rosenzweig Coopersmith Foundation.

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Palestinian Jordan River Media Tour

“Wastewater is Water for Farms! FoEME Palestine Tour” – this tour was part of FoEME Palestine’s first campaign to advance policy that supports the use of wastewater for agriculture. Untreated wastewater represents both a major threat to the health of the Lower Jordan River and a viable alternative source of water for agriculture in Palestine.

Members of FoEME’s Palestinian Jordan River Council and Jordan River Advisory Committee, local citizens, elected officials and news media participated in the tour. Participants visited Palestine’s only modern wastewater treatment plant in Al Bireh and Birzeit University’s wastewater treatment and reuse research facilities.

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Regional “Benefits Study” meeting – Jordan River

This month FoEME launched a regional study of the economic benefits associated with rehabilitating the Lower Jordan River. The study, undertaken cooperatively by leading Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli economists will examine the economic benefits that rehabilitation will provide to the regional economies through increased access, recreational benefits, and ecosystem services. In a first regional meeting of the economic consultants the experts agreed on the study’s methodologies and timeline. To read more about this important new study please visit the Economic Benefits Study page on our website or read a blog about the study’s launch.

The Jordan River Rehabilitation Project is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Global Nature Fund / Ursula Merz Foundation and the Osprey Foundation.

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Ashdod conference and TAP project gathering

FoEME brought together the Palestinian Minister of Water, Dr. Shaddad Attilli, and the Israeli Minister of Environment, Mr. Gilad Erdan, for adiscussion on Israeli / Palestinian shared waters at the Ashdod Sustainability Conference on Tuesday, December 13th. The discussion took place as part of the panel “Cross-Border Waters and Regional Sustainability” moderated by Gidon Bromberg, FoEME’s Israeli Director. This was the first time the Ministers met in Israel publicly to discuss issues in dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, such as water allocation, responsibility for pollution of shared streams, and more.  Read more on our blog…

A delegation of 40 Palestinians and Jordanians, residents from our Good Water Neighbors and TAP projects, attended the conference as well. The evening before the conference they met with Palestinian Water Minister Shaddad Attili for an hour-long informal talk in which they raised various issues with the minister and his team.

Following the conference, they visited the Shafdan wastewater treatment plant which treats the wastewater of two million residents of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. This is the biggest facility of its kind in the Middle East and one of the biggest in the world. 80% of the treated water is re-used to irrigate fields in the Negev. The participants concluded the visit with a dinner in Tel Aviv and a quick visit to Bethlehem to enjoy the Christmas holiday atmosphere.

The Transboundary Advocacy of Parliamentarians (TAP) Project is supported by the European Union’s Partnerships for Peace program.

Over the next year FoEME consultants will survey hundreds of national residents and international visitors and meet with dozens of high level planners and decision makers to understand the value of a rehabilitated Jordan River by calculating visitor’s willingness to pay, sacrifice or exchange in order to access a clean river using a combination of the travel cost method and the contingency evaluation method.

This study will help FoEME, the public and decision makers envision benefits of a clean river that our grandparent’s generation grew up with. Envision kayaking down aturbulent river like US Navy Lieutenant W.F Lynch did in 1847, or watching fish jump in a healthy stream as the depicted in the 6^th century Madaba Mosaic Map!

Through this study FoEME aims:

• To provide decision makers, donors and regional actors insight and appraisal of opportunities for development that would result from a rehabilitated Lower Jordan River.

• To identify positive-sum outcomes to responsible river management and rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River.

Drafts of the study will be presented to various stakeholder forums throughout 2012 and will be published and available to the public via FoEME‘s website in the fall of 2012.

To follow advances in this important new study check back with the Economic Benefits Study page on our website and sign up for FoEME’s monthly environmental peacemaking newsletter.

To learn more click here  for a power point presentation on this study.

The Jordan River Rehabilitation Project  is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Global Nature Fund / Ursula Merz Foundation and the Osprey Foundation.

This entry was contributed by Elizabeth Ya’ari, FoEME‘s Jordan River Rehabilitation Project Coordinator.

Here’s how it works:

You make a US tax-deductible donation through our website→ FoEME develops its EcoParks in Jordan, Palestine, and Israel → You’ve made a tax-deductible contribution and helped the people and environment here!!!

A gift of $36 can help FoEME plant two trees at the SHE EcoPark that

• Rehabilitates land around the Ziglab dam and promotes environmental education in Jordan

• Builds eco-tourism income for the area’s farmers

A gift of $100 can help FoEME buy embroidered wall hangings, pillowcases, and rugs produced locally for the Auja Environmental Center in the Palestinian village of Auja which

• Supports women’s empowerment projects
• Decorates the Center’s guesthouse and helps build eco-tourism income for the community

A gift of $180 or more can help FoEME buy a solar energy system for mud-brick education buildings at the Ein Gedi Eco-Center in Israel, and for SHE and Auja facilities, which

• Supports education and environmental R&D initiatives in the region
• Brings the region’s youth to cross-border meetings and encounter programs

A gift of any amount supports FoEME’s work for water justice in the Middle East.

Your donation may be made through our online donation page.

Best wishes for Water and Peace in the New Year 2012!

In 2010, FoEME conducted an analysis to identify opportunities to conserve water resources in Israel. It estimates the water savings from a range of different policies. The study estimates the costs of each water-saving measure and primarily addresses demand management measures, as these represent the cheapest, technologically easiest, and most environmentally beneficial means of living within a strict water budget.

The study identifies five options to reduce domestic water consumption. Three of them, awareness raising, change in plants and gardening techniques, and water loss reductions appear to offer genuine cost savings and thus, should be prioritized for implementation. They offer both environmental and economic benefits. Together they would conserve up to 267 mcm per year – more water than a new desalinization plant! The two other options, rainwater catchment and storage and grey water systems demonstrate water conservation potential but given current infrastructure and policies are more expensive options. Therefore, the Israeli authorities should support efforts to lower the costs and promote grey water use and rainwater catchment and storage, also in the domestic sector.

The following figure demonstrates the domestic and municipal water consumption In Israel by use.

Another cost effective approach to reduce water consumption is to change plant types in parks and in private gardens. Much of the flowers, plants, and trees in parks and gardens, both public and private, are water intensive species. According to discussions with landscape architects, the Israeli Water Authorities Master Plan for Water Conservation, and reports by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, replacing such flora with varieties with low water needs and improved irrigation techniques could result in a 50% decrease in water consumption for urban irrigation. Recent Israeli policies, such as raising water prices for public gardens twofold, encouraged municipalities to reduce their water consumption.

Leakages and associated water losses account for 10-15% of the domestic water consumption. Such a percentage of water losses is not considered high by international standards (see FoEME‘s blog entries on Jordan and the Palestinian Territories). Still, the rate of water losses can be reduced in Israel. Cost savings from reduced leakage were calculated at $1.05 per cubic meter conserved. The cost of upgrading infrastructure is estimated at $0.30 – $0.60. Thus, such measures would result in a net cost savings of $0.45 – $0.75 per cubic meter.

The following figure summarizes the potential water conservation in the domestic and municipal sector in Israel.

As this figure illustrates, the study was able to identify numerous cost-effective options for water conservation at scales that would allow for reduction in the need for desalination and free up water that could be returned to the natural flows of rivers such as the long-suffering river Jordan.

]]> http://foeme.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/water-demand-management-israel/feed/ 2 friendsoftheearthmiddleeast Screen shot 2011-12-28 at 12.47.13 Screen shot 2011-12-28 at 11.53.31 http://foeme.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/holiday-gift-foeme-donation/ http://foeme.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/holiday-gift-foeme-donation/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:50:32 +0000 friendsoftheearthmiddleeast http://foeme.wordpress.com/?p=1709 ]]> Share The Holiday Spirit With FoEME!!

By giving a FoEME gift to someone you love this holiday season, you can help build FoEME’s three EcoParks!

Here’s how it works:

You make a US tax-deductible donation through our website→ FoEME sends a handsome gift card by email → FoEME develops its EcoParks in Jordan, Palestine, and Israel → You’ve made a tax-deductible contribution, helped the people and environment here, and given a great gift to a loved one!!!

A gift of $36 can help FoEME plant two trees at the SHE EcoPark that

• Rehabilitates land around the Ziglab dam and promotes environmental education in Jordan

• Builds eco-tourism income for the area’s farmers

A gift of $100 can help FoEME buy embroidered wall hangings, pillowcases, and rugs produced locally for the Auja Environmental Center in the Palestinian village of Auja which

• Supports women’s empowerment projects
• Decorates the Center’s guesthouse and helps build eco-tourism income for the community

A gift of $180 or more can help FoEME buy a solar energy system for mud-brick education buildings at the Ein Gedi Eco-Center in Israel, and for SHE and Auja facilities, which

• Supports education and environmental R&D initiatives in the region
• Brings the region’s youth to cross-border meetings and encounter programs

A gift of any amount supports FoEME’s work for water justice in the Middle East.

Friends of the Earth Middle East will email a handsome gift card for a friend or family member, making this a holiday gift that:

     – shares the holiday spirit of making peace!

     – shares in making new Friends for the Earth in the Middle East!

Your donation gift may be purchased through our online donation page.

Best wishes for Water and Peace this holiday season!