Israel Hayom has learned that for the first time, Israel's National Planning and Construction Authority has decided on an action plan to preserve Israel's open areas as part of its overall strategy for the year 2040.
The plan includes the location and mapping of some 500 wet and dry natural habitats, the location of some 400 biodiverse areas, and proposals for 80 new nature reserves to protect them. Additionally, some 55 of the country's existing nature reserves are slated for expansion.
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The plan will also promote plans to establish "ecological corridors" – contiguous open areas that link nature spots – and the mapping of about 100 "bottlenecks," or narrow corridors between areas of construction that, if closed, will cut off links between open spaces, in order to provide these locations with more protection.
Recently, the National Planning and Construction Authority was presented with a program for the next two decades that addresses the issues of housing, infrastructure, and transportation. For the first time, these plans take open natural spaces – and their preservation – into account. The plan is slated to be promoted in conjunction with various government departments and ministries, as well as the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Jewish National Fund.
Dotan Rotem, an ecologist with the INPA who took part in writing the program, told Israel Hayom that "the plan begins from a healthy perspective for the country, which has become more relevant after people have been isolated at home these past few months, longing for accessible open spaces, both near their homes and in wider spaces."
Dr. Iris Bernstein, a planning administration official noted that "the current vision, which takes open spaces into account, reflects a focus on all our natural resources, which are being degraded at an accelerating rate."
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