SPNInews Winter 2018-2019
Youth hiking at Timna. Photo Nitai Gildor
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
SPNI 2018: Loving and Protecting Nature 365 Days a Year Thanks to the generous support of people like you, SPNI has spent the last 365 days tackling numerous environmental challenges and celebrating many successes on land, at sea, and in the air. The continued support we receive from our friends around the world helps us ensure that Israel prioritizes the need for open natural areas, accessible beaches and healthy living conditions for current and future generations. Below are highlights of just a few completed and ongoing SPNI campaigns dedicated to the preservation of Israel’s greatest natural resources and unique biodiversity:
Great News for the Sasgon Valley – Following a full year of legal activity by SPNI, Adam Teva V'din and representatives of the Eilot Reginal Council, the Ministry for Environmental Protection and the Netivot municipality, the Southern District Planning and Building Committee has rescinded its approval for the construction of a hotel in the Sasgon Valley, in the southern Arava Desert. The developers were offered an alternative location for the project at Timan Park, ensuring that the Sasgon Valley’s natural splendor would remain unharmed.
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Giving New Life to Israel's Drying Streams – A decade ago, we began addressing the fact that there is no systematic approach to maintaining Israel’s natural water sources. During the past several years, which have been challenging for Israel’s water economy, we promoted many professional aspects of stream rehabilitation, as well as extensive educational programming. This year, we achieved a significant milestone, when the government approved a plan, which was adapted from a plan originally drafted by SPNI in 2015, that will allocate NIS 81 million to repair the severe damage caused by Israel’s ongoing water crisis to the country’s rivers and streams, beginning with seven streams in northern Israel. We are now working to ensure that the plan is implemented in its entirety without delay.
Protecting the Sea and Promoting Marine Nature Reserves – We published an extensive report on the grievous state of Israel’s maritime zones, areas that remain unprotected, unplanned, unsupervised and underprepared for a large-scale pollution disaster. Years of neglect by the state resulted in the unregulated environmental operation of infrastructure companies, fishermen and others. Israel’s reliance on desalination plants for its drinking water, and the recent discoveries of gas depositories in the economic waters, accentuate the existential role of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the national concern of maintaining a healthy marine system. Together with a coalition of organizations and citizens, we are leading a campaign to establish marine nature reserves in the belief that the
WINTER 2018-2019
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
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