Israel Nature and Parks Authority

Nature and Parks Authority

part of Ministry of the Environment
Established:	April, 1998

Hula Valley nature reserve

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (רשות הטבע והגנים)(Rashut Hateva Vehaganim) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, the Golan Heights and parts of the West Bank. The organization was founded in April 1998, merging two organizations that had managed the nature reserves and national parks separately since 1964.

The symbol of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is the ibex, a mountain goat similar to the antelope.^[1]One of the missions of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is enforcing Israeli wildlife protection laws.^[2]

Regions

In 2007, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority was the overseer of 190 nature reserves and 66 national parks, covering approximately 20 percent of Israel’s land mass.^[3] All parks and nature reserves are divided into six regions:

• Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee, and Galilee
• Lower Galilee and their valleys
• Mt. Carmel, the coast, and central Israel
• Judean Desert and The Dead Sea
• The Negev
• Eliat and the Arava

See also

• List of national parks and nature reserves of Israel
• Tourism in Israel

References

1. 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know About Israel, Mitchell Geoffrey Bard and Moshe Schwartz
2. Genetic characterization of the golden jackal and the red fox in Israel
3. Science-based conservation workshop

External links

• Israel Nature & Parks Authority INPA website