Funded by GGI-Gardens Awards Program, in partnership with United States Botanic Garden

Project Completed: 2024

Institution: Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Bethlehem University

Rare and endangered flora from newly designated protected areas in the Al-Arqoub region

Project goal

In 2023, PIBS at Bethlehem University was awarded a GGI-Gardens Partnership. This partnership provided PIBS the opportunity to collect genomic and herbarium specimen data, particularly focusing on rare and endangered plants within the newly established IUCN Protected Area Network (PAN) in the Al-Arqoub region.

Key achievements

With support from the GGI-Gardens Partnership Award, PIBS successfully published a paper documenting new floral records in the Al-Arqoub region in the Jordan Journal of Natural History. Additionally, they submitted a research paper on DNA metabarcoding of orchids in the West Bank, a project completed as part of a Master’s thesis by a PIBS team member in collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London.

These research and conservation initiatives not only advanced scientific knowledge but also supported the development of several Master’s thesis projects. Moreover, they enhanced the leadership skills of PIBS staff across multiple fields.

The achievements are particularly noteworthy given the challenging political landscape and conflict in the region. The research team worked under difficult conditions, especially in the West Bank’s PAN, which had been under lockdown for several months. Their ability to adapt and innovate allowed them to persist in their conservation efforts, all while maintaining their core values of “respect for ourselves, for others, and for nature.”

Through the 2023 GGI-Gardens Partnership Award, PIBS at Bethlehem University contributed 291 genera (including 30 new to GGBN) and 81 families (with 2 new to GGBN).