Hula valley (8169)
Israel, Middle East

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e, B1, D1a

Year of last assessment: 2018

National site name: Hula valley

Central coordinates: Latitude: 33.0833, Longitude: 35.6167

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 180 to 180

Area of KBA (km²): 167.93908

Protected area coverage (%): 13.51

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Part of the northern Jordan Valley and formerly an extensive marshland area, but now drained except for the Hula Nature Reserve near Yesod Hama'ala. The reserve's water level is maintained at c.6 m above that of the surrounding valley, and the main habitats are open water, Cyperus papyrus thickets, swamp-meadow with Cyperus, Typha, Juncus and Scirpus, and Phragmites beds. There are fish-ponds and reservoirs in the area adjacent to the reserve and to the north.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). Taxonomy, nomenclature and Red List category follow the IUCN 2016 Red List.

Additional biodiversity: The Hula valley, and particularly the Hula Nature Reserve, is the most important wetland area in Israel for breeding waterbirds. See boxes for key species; other breeding species include Halcyon smyrnensis and Ceryle rudis. The reserve provides a roost site for large migrant flocks of Pelecanus onocrotalus, and there are high passage numbers of Ciconia ciconia, Anas clypeata, several raptor species and Grus grus (see box). Wintering species include notable numbers of Circus aeruginosus (60) and Aquila clanga (23). The site was listed as a wetland of international importance by Carp (1980). Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Habitats

Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research (3%)

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Artificial - Aquatic	33
Artificial - Terrestrial	33
Wetlands(Inland)	33

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The Hula Nature Reserve (450 ha) was established in 1956, and much hydrological management has been carried out to maintain the quality of the habitat. Potential threats to the birds in the reserve and in the Hula valley are pollution by pesticides and fertilizers from adjacent farmland, and disturbance from visitors.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents	Herbicides and pesticides	Ongoing
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents	Nutrient loads	Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	Recreational activities		Ongoing

Additional information

References: Carp (1980), Gorney (1980, 1983), Levy and Yom-Tov (1991).