A rich variety of plants and animals indicate a healthy environment to live in.

Every living creature, plant, fungus, and even bacteria has a role in the complex ecosystem. It’s a tangled network of connections and relationships that create the colorful picture of the landscape around us.

Have you noticed that we have many species of plants and animals?

Sometimes we encounter different species of the same type. Or sometimes we meet different species that look very similar in our eyes.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do we need all this diversity?”

A diverse and rich ecosystem is a strong and stable system. Every species within the system has a role. Just like a bolt in a machine, the stability of each bolt helps our machine operate correctly.

In the ecosystem, there is a network of connections that each species forms with its neighbors. These connections help keep our ecosystem functioning and stable.

Sometimes different species provide the same role to the system. This overlap of roles ensures the continued function of the ecosystem when, heaven forbid, one of the species is at risk. Another species can help in its place until it returns to a healthy state. This way, the ecosystem doesn’t collapse, and we continue to benefit from it.

Look around you.

Try counting how many different species of animals and plants you see.

How many different species of birds are currently in the Lachish River area?

How many different yellow flowers in their natural form do you see?

Challenging, isn’t it?

That makes it more interesting….

Biodiversity Task

To complete the task, you need to collect 10 dried leaves from your surroundings and create a nature-inspired artwork using them. Take a photo of the artwork and upload it to the Ashdod Tourism Facebook page. Use the hashtag #Preserving_Lachish_River

This initiative was established with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Association of Cities for Environmental Quality, the Ashdod-Yavne Basin, and the Municipality of Ashdod.