ABSTRACT
The Jewish settlement effort in the country caused radical changes in the landscape. Jewish swamp drainage added a total of 700,000 dunam to the available agricultural land. Swamps were drained; the blocked channels of rivers and streams that caused extensive flooding were cleared and the resulting free flow allowed drainage of adjoining lowlands. Waste-land was reclaimed and cleared of wild vegetation; bare hills were afforested; the encroachment of sands along the coast was halted by the planting of trees and bushes. Reference to the Palestine Exploration Fund maps will illustrate how extensive the ravaged lands were throughout the country. The Jordanians later neglected the project, and the soil returned to its former saline state. The forests were planted on bare, desolate slopes of mountains and along the banks of rivers and streams, and where it was thought that they would impede encroaching sand.
