Special Issue Journal of Sustainability Science and Studies

Special Issue 1, December 2009

Article Number: 11

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Critical situation of the vegetation of EL-Gabal EL-Akhdar area: Physical and anthropogenic factors and their effects on wild utilized and endemic taxa

S. El shatshat, G. Thabt, and N. Elhashani

Pages 60-63

Abstract—El-Jabel El-Akhdar (Green mountains) is located in the Northeastern part of Libya and it is one of its important ecological regions. The climate reflects the vegetation in this area and therefore, El-Jabel El-Akhdar vegetation consists of a huge number of species can tolerate, avoid or escape from drought. The vegetation of the area has been strongly affected by number of physical factors (climatic factors especially uncertainty of rainfall according to recent climate change) and human activities (wood gathering, charcoal making, agriculture expansion, urbanization, overgrazing, etc.). This may finally lead to disappearing of some species and vegetation regions, especially endemic species. Our results showed that intensive anthropogenic factors and utilization of some species from this area in commercial purposes; also, endemic plants might cause destroying the vegetation cover in the future. However, here we shade some light about factors that affect vegetation, especially the rare and endemic plants in El-Jabel El-Akhdar. And this may lead to suitable scenarios which must be considered and can be used to protect them and the whole vegetation.

Keywords—anthropogenic factors, endemic species, Libyan flora, medicinal plants, vegetation.