Ecosystem service trade-offs in wetland management: drainage and rehabilitation of the Hula, Israel

The Hula wetland, a freshwater lake surrounded by swamps in the watershed basin of the Sea of Galilee, was drained in the 1950s for arable land and to reduce evaporation, thereby increasing the usable water available. A nature reserve was then designated, but this did not prevent species extinction. Later, severe environmental problems developed in the area; therefore, a rehabilitation project was implemented. The Hula wetland provides a good example of changes in ecosystem services under different management regimes and is, therefore, an appropriate setting for analysing trade-offs between different ecosystem services. Before drainage, the wetland provided a variety of ecosystem services. Following drainage, agricultural production services were dominant, but they declined over time. An analysis of the impact of drainage and rehabilitation on the Hula wetland is presented, and ecosystem service trade-offs that occurred over the past 80 years are evaluated.