الأراضي المقدسة الخضراء / GHLands
The Environmental Education Center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land released an informational bulletin on Tuesday to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed annually on June 17.
In its statement, the center noted that this year's observance is held under the theme "Rangelands: Recognizing Their Value, Respecting Them, and Restoring Them." The campaign aims to promote greater recognition of the economic, environmental, and cultural importance of rangelands, acknowledge the role of traditional pastoral communities, and encourage investment in the restoration of degraded grazing lands.
The center explained that this year's theme aligns with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, emphasizing the need to raise awareness, encourage responsible investment, and strengthen policies that protect rangelands and sustain pastoral livelihoods.
Rangelands Cover More Than Half of Earth's Land Surface
According to United Nations agencies cited in the bulletin, rangelands are among the largest ecosystems on the planet, yet they remain largely overlooked. They cover more than half of the Earth's terrestrial surface and play a crucial role in ensuring food security, regulating water cycles, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing resilience to climate change.
These ecosystems also support the livelihoods of approximately two billion people worldwide, including pastoral communities and Indigenous peoples whose traditional knowledge and stewardship have helped preserve these landscapes for generations.
The bulletin warned that up to 50 percent of the world's rangelands are either degraded or at risk of degradation, posing serious threats to food and water security, biodiversity, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods.
It further highlighted United Nations estimates indicating that investments in sustainable land and water management, improved drought preparedness, and community-led restoration initiatives could significantly contribute to safeguarding both these landscapes and the populations that depend on them.
Rangelands Account for 28% of the West Bank
The bulletin presented Palestinian data showing that approximately 2.02 million dunums of land in Palestine can be classified as rangelands, representing 28 percent of the West Bank's total area. Around 69 percent of these grazing lands are located on the eastern slopes, while only 700,000 dunums remain accessible for grazing.
It noted that the Israeli separation wall has appropriated approximately 318,804 dunums of rangeland, equivalent to 19 percent of the total grazing area in the West Bank.
Citing data published by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA), the bulletin stated that Palestinian rangelands produce approximately 52,400 tons of dry forage annually, equivalent to 36,680 tons of barley, enough to meet the feeding requirements of around 105,000 sheep and goats. These rangelands are also home to 268 legume species and 198 grass species.
Israeli Restrictions and Control Over Grazing Lands
The bulletin emphasized that Israeli policies have significantly reduced Palestinian access to grazing lands. Prior to 1967, Palestinian herders had unrestricted access to these areas. Following the Israeli occupation, however, grazing lands were dramatically reduced, with Palestinians now able to access no more than 20 percent of the available rangelands.
Large areas have been confiscated for military training zones, settlement construction, the separation wall, and bypass roads.
The report also highlighted Israel's designation of extensive grazing areas as nature reserves, where Palestinian grazing activities are prohibited. It noted that these protected areas have been declared unilaterally by Israeli authorities and have not been officially recognized by the Palestinian Authority.
In addition, Palestinian herders face severe restrictions on movement and access to grazing areas, particularly in the northern Jordan Valley. The shrinking availability of grazing land has intensified pressure on the remaining pastures, resulting in overgrazing, degradation of vegetation cover, and the disappearance of many native plant species.
This decline has reduced the productivity of rangelands and negatively affected livestock farmers' incomes, forcing many to rely on increasingly expensive commercial feed.
The bulletin further identified additional challenges, including Israeli pastoral settlement outposts, uncontrolled and premature grazing, conversion of grazing land into agricultural fields, urban expansion, excessive removal of trees and shrubs, soil erosion, wildfires, drought, climate variability, off-road vehicle activity, and environmental pollution caused by illegal dumping sites and untreated wastewater.
136 Pastoral Settlement Outposts
The bulletin reviewed the expansion of Israeli pastoral settlement outposts in the occupied Palestinian territories. Between 1984 and 2012, approximately 18 pastoral outposts were established. An additional 35 outposts were created between 2017 and 2021.
Following the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023, settlement expansion accelerated significantly, with 70 new pastoral outposts established between the beginning of the war and the end of March 2025.
According to the bulletin, the total number of pastoral settlement outposts established between 1984 and March 2025 reached approximately 136 outposts.
Data from the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission indicate that these outposts control land areas equivalent to three times the built-up area of existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Commission also reported that the settler population in the West Bank had reached approximately 770,000 settlers by the end of 2024, distributed across 180 settlements and 256 colonial outposts, including 136 agricultural and pastoral outposts.
The bulletin noted that pastoral outposts are concentrated in Palestinian areas adjacent to Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. They are particularly prevalent in the Jordan Valley, extending from Tubas in the north to Masafer Yatta south of Hebron, as well as along the eastern slopes of the West Bank. During the first half of 2026, such outposts also expanded into areas of the northern West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Studies Center, as of January 2024, Hebron Governorate recorded the highest number of pastoral outposts with 22, followed by Ramallah with 21, Nablus with 14, Tubas with 9, Bethlehem with 8, Salfit with 6, and Jericho and Jenin with 4 outposts each, while Tulkarm recorded a single pastoral outpost.
Collectively, these outposts control more than 480,000 dunums of land, most of which are located in the Jordan Valley and the eastern slopes of the West Bank.
Calls for Protection and Action
The bulletin concluded by calling for the protection of the remaining accessible rangelands across West Bank governorates and for the implementation of organized grazing schedules to prevent overgrazing and preserve vegetation cover.
It also urged greater international awareness of the impact of Israeli land appropriation and pastoral settlement expansion, calling for national and international campaigns to highlight their consequences for both people and the environment.
The center further called on relevant authorities to intensify efforts to protect biodiversity from excessive harvesting, logging, and overgrazing, while promoting the planting of native trees, shrubs, and crops and avoiding invasive species.
Finally, the bulletin stressed the need for practical measures to safeguard rangelands and nature reserves from unplanned urban expansion, reduce wildfire risks, and address environmental pollution caused by illegal waste dumping.
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