Not Hernog's fault

The acacia trees in the prairie are drying up - it's not because of the schytts hernog parasite, one of 150 species of parasites that make the trees look evergreen. This is the suction

Christmas and New Year's celebrations raise the horn of one of the more well-known parasites - the hernog, or as it is known by its foreign name, mistletoe. It is known that during the New Year's celebrations everyone who is under the shadow of the parasite must kiss... a custom that probably developed because of properties attributed to the parasite, among other things It is considered a sexual arousal. The murder of the northern god Baldur, (Norse god Baldur) is attributed to a parasite, for the Druids (Druids) in Britain, the parasite was used in the spring welcoming ceremonies, all because of its green and blooming appearance even in seasons when all the other trees were naked. Being evergreen, bearing flowers and fruits all year round caused the association of its mysterious properties.

Botanists do not have a clear explanation as to why the parasite continues to produce flowers and fruits all year round, but it is conceivable that since it is not subject to the pressure of supplying fluids, provided by the host, it does not need to "stop growing".

The parasite belongs to one family with about five genera, and about 150 species, most of which grow on the tops of trees and plants. Unlike other parasites, the mistletoe depends on the host mainly for the supply of fluids, while the production of sugars / energy is done by itself by assimilating its green leaves. With the exception of its traditional role in Christmas celebrations, the parasite suffers from a negative attitude mainly among nature lovers who see it as a cause of damage to forest and woodland plants.

Now apparently the negative attitude is about to change as a study by the ecologist Dr. David Watson, Professor of Ecology at the Institute of Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University in Albury, Australia. The researcher states that "the parasite plays a key role in the recovery of sick deer..." According to Watson "despite the fact that the parasite is a tiny component of the habitats in which it is found, in relation to the variety of species, distribution and amount of biological mass, it is a strong protective factor and affects the wealth of species in a much greater way relative to its distribution ".

Already in 2001, Watson wrote a paper that indicates the function of the parasite as a "keystone resource"
The plant serves as a nesting place and a source of food for many animals and as such increases the variety of plant and animal species in the forest environment. Since then, the parasite's important role as a guardian of the forest's health has been clarified and clarified. Its importance is known from the same feature that gave it its mystery - being evergreen, even when all the trees in the grove are in the fall, the parasite continues to colonize green leaves, bloom and produce fruit. Green leaves, flowers and fruits that provide food for the birds and animals of the forest, those leaves that fall and according to Watson are an important source of food for soil bacteria that turn them into a source of hydrocarbons, i.e. food sources in the soil, "food sources that serve as an auxiliary engine for the growth of the forest".

Another study that describes the importance of the parasite to the environment was conducted in Madagascar. The researcher, Mitchell Yerwin from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, was engaged in the study of Sifka, one of the species of lemurs on the big island off the coast of Africa. It turns out that in the dry season when most of the trees are dry and do not provide food, the parasite moves to the feeders to collect and eat young leaves, flowers and fruits. In ecology, such a food source is referred to as "fallback food". According to the researcher "without the parasite there is no doubt if the supply teachers were able to continue to exist".

Prof. Janice Dickinson from the University of Cornwall found that the parasite is a key species for the development of young thrushes, these remain even in the winter around their parents and live in a partnership that would not be possible without the food provided by the parasite.

Watson and Dickinson's conclusion is that "the parasite is a healing and rehabilitative force for woodpeckers", contrary to the trend that "the parasite must be destroyed in order to restore trees", Watson and Dickinson claim that "in order to cure diseased/problematic woodpeckers, the possibility of returning and spreading the parasite must be examined" . Therefore, according to the researchers: "The studies show that the directive to the foresters to destroy the parasite is stupid".

The most common species in our area is typical of the acacia trees in the south and is called Harnog. The negative image of the hernog in the world is widespread mainly because of its damage to fruit trees, apples, plums, peaches and many others that are surrogates to the displeasure of farmers. With us, the hornbill got its negative image because of its attractive appearance on the acacia trees mainly in the prairie, despite its bright green, despite the striking red of its flowers, despite the sweet taste of its fruit, despite being a source of attraction and as such a close distribution to the two candidates for the "state bird", the nightingale and the scout Despite all that... a negative image. Many years ago, young instructors learned that the Harnog got its name because "he kills the method"... and that's how the negative attitude developed.

The negative attitude is so extreme that you can see "nature lovers" who attack the hernog with a flood of foam and try to destroy it, they forget that every host carries parasites, including us since our bodies have many and many parasites and as long as the body is healthy there is no effect on their presence, so are the acacia trees, A healthy tree will carry the hernog without a problem, a parasite that is a beautiful and important addition to the environment.

For many years you can see how the acacia trees are drying up in the wadis that go down to the Arava, first we saw the drying out in the southern Arava, today you can also see the drying out in the wadis that go down to the northern Arava, the most convenient and prominent culprit was the hernog, those who are supposed to protect our environment have developed hypotheses and assumptions about how: " Because of the high volume of traffic in the dusty area, dust that weakens the acacia trees and allows the hernog to take over", or alternately how: "Because of the development of settlement and agriculture in the area, the birds (bulbuls, tristrums and others) that spread the hernog seeds have multiplied". "The hernog plants are spread and they are the ones that cause the acacia trees to dry up", right? A cursory review shows that most of the dry trees do not carry (and did not carry) the parasite, which means that Harnog is not to blame. The culprit is the drop in the groundwater level, a drop caused by over-pumping. In the south of the Arava, pumping to the desalination plant in Eilat, in the north of the Arava, pumping to irrigate the agricultural areas.

Already 25 years ago, I contacted all related bodies - Eilat Municipality, Mekorot, "Rasht", Ministry of Environmental Protection, I contacted and warned about the drop in the water level, without response and without action....

In the Northern Prairie the problem is less difficult, the solution is much more difficult since no one thinks to stop growing vegetables. In the southern Arava the drying is extreme and difficult, the solution is simple! All that needs to be done is to reduce the pumping from the wells and increase the pumping from the sea, that is, the treatment facility in Eilat will mainly pump seawater, it is possible that the change will cause a high price, then the "wise men" will come and calculate a slightly higher water price against the drying out of the acacia trees, the same trees that are the source of food The main one for all the prairie trees, those trees that paint the prairie and its streams green, those trees that give shade to the bulls and animals, those trees that carry the hernog, since it is not the hernog that is to blame for their drying out, but the pumps that draw their water. So would the guardians of nature and the environment, let the "pretend" be blamed, attack and take care of the real one!

The time has come that instead of controlling the environment for the sake of the human population, there will be control of the human population for the sake of the environment.