SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURE IN ISRAEL / החברה להגנת הטבע
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Mission Statement
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is the leading, oldest and largest environmental non-profit organization in Israel. Since 1953, SPNI has dedicated itself to protecting and preserving Israel's natural resources, environment and unique landscape through the tools of science and public policy, and through education and activism. SPNI works tirelessly with policy makers, youth groups and the general Israeli population to create a sustainable future for Israel. SPNI, headquartered in Tel Aviv, works regionally, nationally and locally, with a full-time staff of 280 and employs hundreds of teachers and guides on a part-time basis. In a typical year, some two- thirds of our income is self-generated revenue from our field schools, guided hikes, and community programs. SPNI’s goals • to protect the natural habitats and biodiversity of Israel • to strengthen the ties of Israelis to the flora and fauna of Israel, through education and fostering the love of nature, and to create awareness about the need to protect the environment • to increase decision makers’ awareness and willingness to act to protect the environment and promote sustainable development
About This Cause
As a land bridge joining three continents, Israel is part of 2.9% of the earth designated as a global biodiversity hotspot. Its narrow confines between the sea and desert make it a bottleneck for a great migration fly route, with over a billion birds traversing our skies each year. SPNI works to protect this special biodiversity though a wide variety of means, including lobbying, writing proposed legislation, and galvanizing the public in environmental campaigns. In recent years, our central focus has been a bold plan to reverse a hundred years of human development which resulted in the draining of Israel’s historic wetlands. Conceived by Dan Alon, now SPNI’s CEO, as a possible game-changer for conservation in Israel, the goal of Start-Up Nature was to rewild some 25% of the 50,000 acres of wetlands that graced Israel's landscape at the beginning of the 20th century. Harnessing Israel's innovative spirit of the start-up nation, SPNI decisively acted to take advantage of a window of opportunity presented to us by changing market forces to disrupt the status quo of nature conservation. Before other developers could secure these opportunities, SPNI leased hundreds of acres of agricultural land directly from kibbutzim to develop them and help sustain the critically important migration flyway, and create new habitats for native biodiversity. In the last two years, we have seen this model replicated and greatly supported by most of the relevant Israeli public sector authorities. A major focus of SPNI's work is in planning Israel's remaining open land spaces, where we represent the public in statutory committees to preserve open spaces and ecological corridors and advance sustainable development solutions. Right now, as authorities are planning the rehabilitation of the areas of conflict in the western Negev and the north of Israel, SPNI is taking an active role in advocating for sustainable redevelopment and for preserving the nature so vital to the quality of life in the region. This includes advancing renewable energy policies that do not harm biodiversity. SPNI also focuses on marine protection in the Mediterranean, where SPNI overhauled Israeli fishing regulations and lobbied successfully for Israel’s first Marine Protected Areas. We are now focusing on similar protections for the Red Sea, assessing all risk factors for healthy marine habitats (especially the globally-significant coral reefs) and advocating for marine nature reserves there too. Among other risks, we are working to protect the sea from potential oil spills associated with the proposed expansion of the Eilat port as a transfer point for fossil fuels from the UAE. Believing that nature should be accessible to all, SPNI works with over a hundred municipalities in to map, protect and expand local nature sites. In Jerusalem and Eilat, SPNI has developed flagship urban nature sites, including community birding research and education centers; Jerusalem’s Gazelle Valley Park where, with SPNI's care, herds of gazelles have increased and we have begun to re-introduce large numbers of them into the wild. SPNI also works with local communities to rehabilitate Israel’s rivers and streams. Education, Formal and Informal SPNI has changed the face of environmental education in Israel, developing programs and curricula which are used by the Ministry of Education in schools nationwide. SPNI carries out formal and informal educational activities, engaging with Israelis across the social and cultural spectrum including the Ultra- Orthodox, Arab-Israelis, Druze, Bedouins and new immigrants. Eco-tourism: Field Schools and the Israel National Trail network SPNI operates Israel’s network of 11 field schools, situated in Israel’s most striking natural areas. These are used as bases for excursions and hikes, a central pillar of Israeli culture. Tens of thousands of tourists, hikers, nature lovers and students enjoy these facilities each year. Each month SPNI organizes dozens of guided hikes and activities across the country in which anyone can participate. SPNI is also responsible for blazing the Israel National Trail, and maintaining more than 10,000 km of hiking trails all over Israel. Nature Heals: SPNI’s Emergency Response to October 7 and the Aftermath SPNI’s response to the current conflict in Israel has been vigorous. In the days and weeks following October 7, SPNI threw open the doors of our field schools to the families fleeing the conflict zones. Now, with at least one in three Israelis suffering from PTSD and increased anxiety and depression following October 7th, the Ministry of Health has called for innovative solutions and non-pharmacological methodologies to support the hundreds of thousands of Israelis needing mental health support. And SPNI has responded: eco-therapy, spending time in nature, is one of these solutions; studies show that ecotherapy can significantly benefit those suffering from anxiety and depression.SPNI launched a series of eco-therapy activities to help different target populations in this time of urgent need, already reaching over 105,000 Israelis