Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel facts for kids

Family hiking in a field of beautiful anemone flowers in Israel

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is a non-profit group in Israel. It works to protect plants, animals, and natural places. SPNI helps keep Israel's amazing variety of life safe by protecting the land and water they need. It is Israel's oldest and largest organization focused on protecting nature.

How SPNI Started

SPNI began in 1953. It was started by Azaria Alon and Amotz Zahavi. They wanted to stop a plan to drain the Hula Valley. The government and another group did drain most of the Hula wetlands. They did this to stop malaria and create farmland.

But SPNI kept working for 40 years! In the early 1990s, about 10% of the Hula wetlands were reflooded. This was a big win for nature.

In 1980, SPNI and its founders won the Israel Prize. This special award was given for their great work protecting Israel's environment.

What SPNI Does

SPNI is known for leading nature hikes. Today, most hikes are in Hebrew. But the Jerusalem branch offers some tours in English. SPNI also works on big projects to improve the environment.

For example, they helped create a plan for farming in the Hula Valley. This plan keeps migrating common cranes healthy. They also stopped the draining of salt pans. These salt pans were the last place in Israel where Nubian nightjars could breed.

A big success was the 2004 Coastal Law. This law stops new buildings from being built within 300 meters of the coastline. SPNI has almost 800 employees. It does many different things to protect nature.

Protecting Israel's Environment

SPNI's Environmental Protection Division (EPD) works to save the open spaces left in Israel. Many people have moved to Israel. This has led to less water, more land used for homes and factories, and lots of traffic and pollution. Israel is now a very crowded country. SPNI tries to find smart ways to protect Israel's delicate natural places.

Saving Israel's Rivers

Israel's rivers are in trouble. Here are some problems:

Water Use: Water is taken from rivers for factories, farms, and homes.
Pollution: Dirty water and waste, sometimes toxic, are dumped into rivers.
Slow Action: Plans to protect rivers are often delayed.
Fast Building: New buildings near rivers can harm them and their habitats.

SPNI's River Rehabilitation Campaign studies these problems. They suggest solutions and work with other groups to make a plan. They also teach people about river and water management.

Protecting the Coastline

The Mediterranean coast is a beautiful place for fun and tourism. But new marinas, homes, and private beaches can stop everyone from enjoying it. SPNI works hard to keep Israel's beaches clean, natural, and open for all.

Caring for the Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee (also called the Kinneret) is Israel's main source of fresh water. It's also a popular spot for Israelis and visitors. But for years, too much water has been used, and beaches have become too commercial. SPNI's Lake Kinneret Project brings groups together. They work to keep the Kinneret's water levels healthy and its shoreline open for future generations.

Creating City Parks

SPNI helps create new parks and fun areas in central Israel. They work to make sure these places are legally protected. This way, there will be 8 open spaces in Israel's crowded central region. These parks will be places for fun, nature, and sports close to where people live.

Using Laws to Protect Nature

SPNI has a special team for Law and the Environment. This team helps SPNI use legal tools to protect Israel's natural resources. They also help SPNI projects by giving legal advice. This includes helping regional planners protect the environment.

Improving Transportation and Air Quality

Lots of traffic and the pollution it causes are a big problem for people's health. SPNI works to create better city transportation. They promote public transport and new ways to build roads that are better for the environment.

Protecting Open Landscapes

Land is very valuable in Israel. Developers want to build on it. SPNI works to save untouched land in its natural state. This land is important for wildlife, birds, and outdoor fun. SPNI also supports smart building that allows towns to grow without cutting down forests that took years to plant.

Bird Watching and Protection

About 500 million birds fly through Israel's skies twice a year! This makes Israel a special place for bird lovers. SPNI has two main centers for birds: the Israel Ornithological Center (IOC) and the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration (ICSBM). These centers help Israel work with others around the world to protect birds. They also protect bird species threatened by cities and building.

SPNI helps with the Champions of the Flyway. This is a bird-watching competition and fundraiser. It raises money to stop illegal hunting of migrating birds around the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel Ornithological Center (IOC)

The IOC started in 1980. It works to save birds like the Lesser Kestrel and cranes. The IOC has many successful projects. These include:

Helping birds by fixing and protecting their homes.
Doing research and surveys about birds.
Running many learning programs in schools across Israel.

International Center for the Study of Bird Migration (ICSBM)

This center is at Latrun. It was started by Yossi Leshem. He was a director at SPNI and is now a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University. The ICSBM is a joint project of SPNI and Tel Aviv University. The center works on many cool projects. These include studying bird migration, flight safety (to prevent birds hitting planes), nature education, and ecotourism.

Learning About Nature

SPNI's education programs reach Israelis of all ages. More than half of all Israeli children and teens are part of SPNI's programs! SPNI believes that by helping young people connect with the land and their communities, they will grow up to protect Israel's natural treasures forever.

Kids Make a Difference

In this program, students get involved in environmental campaigns. They meet other students from all over Israel at big events like the yearly children's conference. This creates a network of young people who care about the environment. Schools that join this program agree to use green practices and work with their community.

A Beautiful Israel

Children and young people across Israel work to clean up the environment. This program teaches them to adopt sites, use resources wisely, and clean up litter.

Volunteering for the Environment

All Israeli 10th-grade students must volunteer for at least 60 hours. SPNI's "Obligated to the Environment" program lets students choose environmental work for their volunteering.

Orienteering in Nature

SPNI has a youth group called Orienteering. They use nature education to help young people become future leaders for a sustainable Israel. Groups meet weekly and go on about 18 hikes a year, from Afula to Beer Sheva.

Multicultural Orienteering

These programs help young people from different backgrounds learn about Israel through nature. They offer field trips and lessons. These activities help young people feel like they belong and become stronger by facing physical and emotional challenges.

Eco-Community Centers

SPNI runs about a dozen Environmental Community Centers (called MaLaShim in Hebrew). These centers are mostly in towns that need more social services. They offer fun activities about nature and the environment, both in school and after school. Sometimes, they even have nature trips for the whole family. These centers have become a very important part of local education. Some centers bring together Jewish and Arab children.

City Branches

SPNI has offices in Israel's main cities. These offices lead environmental activities. SPNI staff run urban eco-centers. From these centers, they work with people to raise awareness about environmental issues. They also run educational activities for children, teens, and adults. This helps people feel proud of and connected to the land. These centers also help SPNI organize local activities and work with city governments on environmental issues. SPNI has major branches in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Be'er Sheva, Haifa, and Modi'in.

In 2011, SPNI moved its offices in Jerusalem from the Sergei Courtyard complex.

Nature Tours and Field Schools

SPNI is well-known for its network of field schools. These schools are located next to Israel's Nature Reserves and National Parks. Many thousands of Israelis and tourists join SPNI's guided hikes and walks to learn about nature.

SPNI's Field Schools do three main things:

Education: Teaching young people and adults about the local area.
Conservation: Protecting the natural environment of the area.
Research: Gathering information about the area with other SPNI teams.

Field Schools are a key part of SPNI's work. They are a main spot for local nature activities and play a big role in nature tourism and education in Israel.

The Jerusalem Bird Observatory also offers tours in English.

Israel Trails Committee (ITC)

The ITC marks and takes care of 10,000 kilometers of paths. This includes 950 kilometers of the famous Israel National Trail. A few full-time SPNI employees work in the field to mark and fix trail markers, from the Galilee in the north to the Negev desert in the south.

SPNI Logo

SPNI member card with the Iris flower logo

The Iris haynei flower, also known as the Gilboa Iris, was chosen as the logo for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.