National parks and nature reserves of Israel

Masada National Park

Ruins of the ancient synagogue at Bar'am National Park

Natural warm water pool at Gan HaShlosha

National parks of Israel are declared historic sites or nature reserves, which are mostly operated and maintained by the National Nature and Parks Authority. As of 2005, Israel maintains more than 150 nature reserves that protect 2,500 species of indigenous wild plants, 20 species of fish, 400 species of birds and 70 species of mammals.^[1]

Some parks are located at archaeological sites such as Tel Megiddo, Beit She'an, Ashkelon and Kursi. Others, such as the Alexander stream, Mount Carmel National Park or Hurshat Tal focus on nature and the preservation of local flora and fauna. Several parks and nature reserves have camping options, such as tent grounds and bungalows, open to small groups and individual campers.^[2] Some of them are located in the Golan Heights and the West Bank.

In 2011, the most popular national parks were Yarkon National Park, Caesarea, Ein Gedi and Tel Dan.^[3]

History

Shivta National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site

During the 19th century, the region had a sparse population of between 275,000 and 475,000.^[4] Waves of immigration expanded local population needs. Forests were cut down to supply coal for heating, industry and the Turkish railway. The German Templers brought with them shotguns, quickly adopted by local peasants for hunting wildlife. The First World War was characterized by massive acquisition of firearms, and German officers were very active hunters.^[5] By the early 20th century, hunting threatened the extinction of crocodile, Arabian ostrich, roe deer, fallow deer, Syrian brown bear, and onager (wild ass). The Asiatic lion had been extinct in Palestine since around the Crusader period in the 10-13th centuries, while it survived in Syria and Arabia all until the 19th-20th century.^[6] Asiatic cheetah was last observed in 1959 and the Rabian leopard is currently acutely threatened by extinction.^[5]

As a result, the British Mandatory government passed laws aimed at saving the local flora and fauna. In 1924 a Hunting Act was published and in 1926 a Forest Ordinance were published. Many sites, such as the forests of Mount Carmel and Mount Meron, were declared forest reserves; certain trees were declared protected.

In 1953 the Knesset passed the Wildlife Protection Law (חוק הגנת חיות-הבר) and the Minister of Agriculture was appointed for its implementation. In 1955, the department for the improvement of the country's landscape (המחלקה לשיפור נוף הארץ) was established in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which was assigned the establishment of tourist infrastructure. The department established a number of well-known national parks, such as Gan HaShlosha, Caesarea, Shivta and Avdat. Following the ecologically disastrous drying of Lake Hula and the resulting public pressure, the Hula Reserve was established in 1964, which was the first declared nature reserve in Israel. In 1963 the Knesset approved the "National parks and nature reserves act" (חוק הגנים הלאומיים ושמורות הטבע), whose legislation process had already began in 1956. As a result, two authorities were established: the National Parks Authority and the Nature Reserves Authority. In 1998 the two authorities were merged into one body - Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Parks and reserves

Nitzanim Sand Dune Park, Ashdod

Korazim National Park

In Israel the distinction between national parks and nature reserves is often hard to make. National parks are in most cases centered around archaeological sites, but sometimes include protected nature habitats. The nature reserves often contain not just protected fauna and flora, but also major archaeological sites. The Hermon Stream Nature Reserve for instance covers a stretch of forested land, but also the vast remains of the ancient city of Banias/Caesarea Philippi. Sometimes an administrative separation is made, as for instance at the Judean desert oasis of Ein Gedi, home to both the Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.

National parks of Israel

This is a partial list, containing only the best known national parks.

Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve - World Heritage Site

Crusader ruins at Ein Hemed National Park

Nahal Taninim in northern Israel

Nature reserves of Israel

This is a partial list, containing only the best known nature reserves.

¹Located in the Israeli-occupied territories.

See also

• Tourism in Israel
• Culture of Israel
• Archaeology of Israel
• Wildlife of Israel

References

External links

• Nature and Parks Authority Official Site