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Did You Know?Israel and the Environment

Greenery has long played a vital role in the Israeli

national consciousness.

Israels first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion articu-

lated the national love of trees during the planting of

the Presidents Forest in 1949.

Of all the blessed acts in which we are engaged in

this country, he said, I do not know if there is a more

fruitful enterprise, whose results are so useful, as the

planting of trees, which adds beauty to the scenery of

our country, improves its climate and adds health to

its inhabitants.

The process of greenification had begun even before

Israels establishment in 1948. Early pioneers came toIsrael in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to find

a country bare due to centuries of uncontrolled

grazing. Pioneers drained swamplands, tilled the soil

and planted trees throughout the land; laying the

early foundations of the state.

Keren Kayemet Le-YisraelJewish National Fund

(KKL-JNF) was founded in 1901 to buy and develop

land in Palestine for Jewish development and settle-

ment.

Since it was founded, KKL-JNF has been at the

forefront of Israels greenification and sustainability

efforts, planting forests, developing water conserva-

New trees plantedin Israel

Blooming anemone flowersgrow in the Ela Valley

Embassy of Israel

Washington, D.C.

www.israelemb.org

Trees and cyclamenflowers bloom in

the Ben-Shemen Forest

tion projects and helping establish Israels national

parks

By 1935 KKL-JNF had planted 1.7 million trees in

Israel. Since Israels establishment in 1948, KKL-JNF

has planted over 200 million trees to aide in Israels

development. Thanks in large part to their efforts,

Israel was the only country in the world to enter the

21st century with a net gain in its number of trees.

The holiday of Tu bi-Shvat is celebrated on the

fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shvat

(around the month of January) is widely celebrated

and considered the New Year for Trees. The first

mention of this holiday appears in the Talmud in

200 C.E. Tu bi-Shvat is marked by the planting oftrees throughout the country.

Israel Ministry of Tourism

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One of Israels most substantial environmental

challenges is the preservation of its precious water

resources. Israel is situated in an arid zone and the

natural resources are insufficient to meet the ever-

rising demand for water. A majority of the countrys

water is derived from very little rainfall, necessitating

the development of bold and innovative water strate-

gies. Israeli water conservation serves as a global

model and its desalination endeavors are among the

most sophisticated in the world.

Israels limited water resources caused water rationing

and the enactment of the Water Law in 1959. The

Water Law ended the private ownership of water

resources and established an administrative water

allocation mechanism. Passing the Water Law has

earned Israel the respect of many nations around the

world for Israels ability to allocate its limited water

resources for a long period of time in a manner that is

beneficial to resources and users alike.

Israeli companies have developed a series internation-

ally renowned irrigation methods that are designed to

make maximum use of its limited water resources.

These include; drip irrigation, buried irrigation, spray

Protecting the environment is a high priority for the

Israeli public, and both public and private institutions.

In 1973, the government established the Environmen-

tal Protection Service (today called the Ministry of the

Environment).

The Ministry of the Environment monitors both the

environment of Israel and its agricultural practices. It

works to ensure that the use of pesticides and fertiliz-

ers is controlled and that organic waste is disposed of

properly.

Israeli concern for the environment extends to conser-

vation as well. In the past ten years recycling levels in

Israel have increased tenfold, and the government

hopes to reach a fifty percent recycling rate by 2010.

The Nature and Parks Authority is responsible for the

operation of Israels 287 national parks and animal and

nature reserves. The Nature and Parks Authority

maintains an extensive list of protected flora, fauna

and minerals. Protected flora in Israel include anemo-

nes and irises, protected fauna include gazelles and

hawks, and protected minerals include fossils, stalag-

mites and stalactites.

Agriculture and agricultural development play signifi-

cant roles in Israeli history, industry and culture. As

such, Israel takes seriously its commitment to environ-

mental action. This commitment has driven Israeli

scientists and government officials to further develop

and push for innovations towards conservation,

preservation, and sustainability.

A combination of sophisticated applied science,

rugged determination, and government support have

helped Israel's farmers to modernize and adapt to

changing geopolitical, market and climatic conditions

and has given Israeli farmers the tools they need to

ensure continued success in the future.

.

Water Conservationand Israeli Technological Innovation

irrigation and sprinkler irrigation.

Drip irrigation is an Israeli-born innovation that is used

worldwide for watering plants and crops. Drip

irrigation consists of small tubes that are buried in the

ground alongside crops, plants, and trees. Water is

regularly released from small openings in the tubes to

provide precisely enough water for each plant. This

ensures the continued growth and health of Israels

plants, crops and trees while sparing needless waste ofone of Israels most precious resources.

Lettuce crops in Israel linedwith drip irrigation tubes


BlossmingTimnaPark in

the NegevDesert

Animalsin HaifasCarmelPark

HaifasCarmel Park

Clean water streams through the Yarkon River


For more information, please visit:

Ministry of the Environment

www.environment.gov.il

The Nature and Parks Authority

www.parks.org.il

KKL-JNF

www.kkl.org.il



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