History, Nature and World Heritage Sites

Israel may be a small country, but it has an extremely diversified landcape, climate, flora and fauna. Without the assistance of dedicated people and organizations much of this would be lost.

In 1955 the first law to protect nature in Israel was passed by the Knesset (Parliament). It is known as the Wild Animals Protection Law, and came into being in order to save the remnants of many animals species threatened with extinction, due to hunting and total disregard for the nature of the land up till then.

In 1963 an additional law came into being, establishing two government authorities:

The National Parks Authority – to protect, maintain and develop historical sites
The Nature Reserves Authority – to protect, maintain and develop nature reserves.

Israel Nature and Parks Authority the Caretaker of World Heritage Sites

In 1988 the two authorities were joined into one, The Israel Nature and Parks Authority, INPA. As of May 2007, 190 nature reserves and 66 national parks have been officially declared so far, covering an area of approximately 20 percent of Israel’s land mass. But the INPA does not rest on its laurels: More than 200 additional proposed nature reserves and national parks are in various stages of the declaration process.

These parks stretch from Mount Hermon in the north with its snow covered peaks in the winter (and a ski resort), through green Mediterranean country side and wetlands, where until the 19th century cheetahs could still be seen, as well as wetlands, to the mountain highland of Judah and Samaria, through the Negev Desert to the coral reefs at the Red Sea and Eilat. Within this area are unique natural phenomena like the Dead Sea and the Ramon Crater, geological developments not found anywhere else in the world.

The richness in the natural landscapes and its flora and fauna is a result of Israel lying as a meeting point between Europe, Africa and Asia.

The INPA also looks after the vast number of historical sites, many of the hundreds, even thousands of years old. These sites are the foundation for the understanding of the country’s history and cultural development, which has had such a profound impact on world history.

Following the adoption by UNESCO of the charter to protect cultural and natural sites of global importance, the INPA has invested considerable resources in gaining inscription in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first site, Masada, was inscribed in 2001, followed in 2005 by biblical tells of Tel Megiddo, Tel Hazor and Tel Be’er Sheva, to be followed by the Incense Route and the Nabatean towns of Avdat, Shivta, Halutza and Mamshit. Other sites will hopefully be inscribed in the future.

The Israel Nataure and Parks Authority continues its work to protect nature and historical and cultural sites. It has successful programs to re-introduce animals that became extinct, is involved in the protection of the countries shorelines and much more.

For anyone interested in knowing more about the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

In later articles I will write about some of the parks.

Make sure that a number of the parks will be on your private guided tour