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SPNI was established to protect nature, and we continue carrying out our purpose, every day, through a range of tools and approaches.

Sadly, environmental issues remain a low priority among decision makers, and among environmental issues, promoting nature and biodiversity has, for too many years, found itself at the bottom of the list. In the last year, we have identified a positive trend for this issue and we hope it will lead to effective results. The COVID-19 pandemic may have been caused following the consumption and trade of wildlife, bringing light to how much our health, as a human society, depends on the health and stability of ecosystems. This concept is still to be understood by decision makers.

Successes

Progress in wildlife protection:

This year was one of the best years for wildlife in recent history, with respect to regulatory attention, thanks to a large-scale public campaign we led to ban sport hunting. The Minister for Environmental Protection banned hunting of two endangered bird species – the turtledove and the quail – through a temporary order. She also banned the use of sound traps for hunting, which aid hunters.

Progress on the Poisoning Law:

This year the Ministry for Environmental Protection submitted an amendment to the Animal Protection Law–Poisoning, which is intended to prevent one of the greatest threats to wildlife in Israel, especially the griffon vulture. Poisoning is the main reason for the vultures’ disappearance from our country’s landscapes. Although poisoning is forbidden by law, in practice, it is impossible to enforce this, since the crime is committed in rural areas without witnesses. Therefore, the new legislation creates, for the first time, effective enforcement tools that will bring an end to poisoning and save wildlife. The public involvement stage has ended for this law; 2021 will hopefully be the year in which it will be finally approved in the Knesset.

Reducing Light Pollution:

After two years of in-depth negotiations with the Mekorot Water Company, 50 facilities located in the central region, and in areas with high ecological sensitivity, have changed their lighting to reduce light pollution. Likewise, internal regulations demanding intelligent planning of lighting, and the use of specific light sources that reduce harm to nature, were incorporated into the company’s operations, while meeting the company’s needs and operating within constraints.

Citizen Science

In 2020 four new citizen science projects were launched at SPNI:

  1. The little fire ant: More than 4,500 people reported fire ant stings. Thanks to these reports, we expanded our understanding about the distribution and spread of this invasive species, and discovered dozens of new infestations. In collaboration with the Ministry for Environmental Protection, we will approach the municipalities to encourage treatment and control of ant infestations, and prevent further spread.

  2. Fireflies: 1,400 different reports of fireflies revealed that there are fireflies in Israel throughout the Mediterranean region, from Mt. Hermon to Be’er Sheva, but mainly on Mt. Carmel and the Jerusalem Hills. Most of the fireflies were reported in natural, undeveloped areas, but fireflies (mainly larvae) were also observed in private gardens. Surprisingly, fireflies were also observed near farmlands, in contrast to the assumption that the pesticides used in agriculture would prevent their presence.

  3. Bats during the day: In order to understand the strange phenomenon of diurnal bats, we requested the help of the public in reporting bats seen during daylight hours. More than 250 such bats were observed, mostly in Tel Aviv, but also in Hadera, Krayot, Jerusalem, and other sites. The majority were observed eating, on trees such as the Ficus spp., sycamore, and chinaberry. Thanks to these reports, we began monitoring the bats by fitting them with transmitters and using tracking cameras.

  4. Erosion monitoring in Kishon Stream: A group of volunteers from the Kishon Basin began assisting a study by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Soil Erosion Station, in which they “adopt” the sampling facilities scattered along the stream’s tributaries and provide updates on their conditions.

Challenges:

Passing an amendment to the Animal Protection Law:

In 2021, we will continue our efforts to ensure the passage of the amendment to the Animal Protection Law to completely ban sport hunting.

Passing the Poisoning Law:

In 2021, we will continue our efforts to promote legislation restricting the use of poisons that are liable to harm wildlife, and increasing the severity of punishment and ease of enforcement. All of these are necessary for preventing events such as what took place a few years ago, when half of the vulture population in the Golan Heights was poisoned.

Environmentally friendly lighting:

In 2021, we are continuing to work on dimming and upgrading Mekorot facilities located in areas with ecological sensitivity, as well as developing a symposium for all of the relevant employees in Mekorot Water Company, which will provide them with necessary tools for incorporating the recommendations at different stages: planning, implementation, and maintenance.

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