National parks of Israel are declared historic sites or nature reserves, which are mostly operated and maintained by the National Nature and Parks Authority. As of 2015, Israel maintains 81 national parks and more than 400 nature reserves, many of them in the occupied West Bank, that protect 2,500 species of indigenous wild plants, 32 species of fish, 530 species of birds and 100 species of mammals.[1] [2]
The parks and reserves were frequently declared around the ruins of the depopulated and subsequently demolished towns and villages of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight; 182 historical Palestinian built up areas are located within Israel's parks and reserves.[3] [4] Some parks are located at archaeological sites such as Tel Megiddo, Beit She'an, Ashkelon and Kursi. Others, such as the Alexander stream, Mount Carmel National Park or Hurshat Tal focus on nature and the preservation of local flora and fauna. Several parks and nature reserves have camping options, such as tent grounds and bungalows, open to small groups and individual campers.[5] Some of them are located in the Israeli-occupied territories of the Golan Heights and the West Bank.
In 2011, the most popular national parks were Yarkon National Park, Caesarea, Ein Gedi and Tel Dan.[6]
From the 1920s onwards, the British Mandatory government passed laws aimed at saving the local flora and fauna. In 1924 a Hunting Act was published and in 1926 a Forest Ordinance were published. Many sites, such as the forests of Mount Carmel and Mount Meron, were declared forest reserves; certain trees were declared protected.
In 1953 the Knesset passed the Wildlife Protection Law (חוק הגנת חיות-הבר) and the Minister of Agriculture was appointed for its implementation. In 1955, the department for the improvement of the country's landscape (המחלקה לשיפור נוף הארץ) was established in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which was assigned the establishment of tourist infrastructure. The department established a number of well-known national parks, such as Gan HaShlosha, Caesarea, Shivta and Avdat. Following the ecologically disastrous drying of Lake Hula and the resulting public pressure, the was established in 1964, which was the first declared nature reserve in Israel. In 1963 the Knesset approved the "National parks and nature reserves act" (חוק הגנים הלאומיים ושמורות הטבע), whose legislation process had already began in 1956. As a result, two authorities were established: the National Parks Authority and the Nature Reserves Authority. In 1998 the two authorities were merged into one body - Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
The last observation of an Arabian leopard took place in the northern Arabah area in 2010/11.[7] It is possibly extinct in the country.[8]
In Israel the distinction between national parks and nature reserves is often hard to make. National parks are in most cases centered around archaeological sites, but sometimes include protected nature habitats. The nature reserves often contain not just protected fauna and flora, but also major archaeological sites. The Hermon Stream Nature Reserve for instance covers a stretch of forested land, but also the vast remains of the ancient city of Banias/Caesarea Philippi. Sometimes an administrative separation is made, as for instance at the Judean desert oasis of Ein Gedi, home to both the Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.
This is a partial list, containing only the best known national parks.
| Name | Region | |
|---|---|---|
| Akhziv Beach National Park (nature reserve with some archaeology) | Northern District Western Galilee | |
| Alexander River National Park (nature reserve with some archaeology) | Central District | |
| Arbel National Park and Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Apollonia-Arsuf National Park | Tel Aviv District | |
| Ashkelon National Park | Central District | |
| Avdat National Park | Southern District the Negev | |
| Bar'am National Park | Northern District | |
| Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park | Northern District | |
| Beit Guvrin National Park | Central District | |
| Beit She'an National Park | Northern District Beit She'an valley | |
| Beit She'arim National Park | Northern District | |
| Caco/Qaqun National Park | Central District Hefer Valley, Sharon plain | |
| Caesarea National Park | Northern District Sharon plain coast | |
| Castel National Park | Central District | |
| Ein Avdat National Park (nature reserve with some archaeology) | Southern District the Negev | |
| Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park (see also Ein Gedi Nature Reserve) | Southern District Judean Desert and The Dead Sea | |
| Ein Hemed National Park (fortified Crusader structure and nature reserve) | Central District | |
| Jerusalem District | ||
| Eshkol National Park (Besor; nature reserve with some archaeology) | Southern District the Negev | |
| Gan Hashlosha National Park (Sakhne; water park and archaeology museum) | Northern District | |
| Hamat Tiberias National Park | Northern District | |
| Lakhish National Park (not fully ready to receive tourists) | Jerusalem District | |
| Lavnin Ridge Nature Reserve and Park (National Park established in April 2019) | Jerusalem District | |
| Ma'ayan Harod (Harod Spring) National Park (nature reserve and Yehoshua and Olga Hankin memorial house) | Northern District | |
| HaSharon Park (nature reserve) | Central District | |
| Hurshat Tal National Park (public park and nature reserve) | Northern District | |
| Kochav HaYarden National Park (Belvoir Fortress and Igael Tumarkin sculpture park) | Northern District | |
| Korazim National Park | Northern District | |
| Mamshit National Park | Southern District the Negev | |
| Masada National Park | Southern District Judean Desert and the Dead Sea | |
| Mount Carmel National Park | Northern District | |
| Ramon Park at Makhtesh Ramon (nature reserve with archaeological sites) | Southern District the Negev | |
| at Midreshet Ben-Gurion near Sde Boker[9] | Southern District the Negev | |
| Shivta National Park | Southern District the Negev | |
| Tel Arad National Park | Southern District Judean Desert | |
| Tel Be'er Sheva National Park | Southern District the Negev | |
| Tel Hazor National Park | Northern District | |
| Tel Megiddo National Park | Northern District | |
| National Park | Northern District | |
| Yarkon National Park (archaeological sites and nature reserve) | Central District Yarkon River springs, central Israel | |
| Yehi'am Fortress National Park | Northern District | |
| Zippori National Park (Sepphoris) | Northern District Lower Galilee and the valleys |
| Name | Region | |
|---|---|---|
| Baptismal Site on the Jordan River - Qasr al-Yahud[10] | Southern District Judean Desert | |
| Herodion National Park | Southern District Judean Desert/West Bank | |
| Hermon Stream (Banias) Nature Reserve (Banias/Caesarea Philippi archaeological site and Hermon Stream nature reserve) | Northern District | |
| Kursi National Park | Northern District | |
| Nimrod Fortress National Park (Qal'at Namrud) | Northern District | |
| Qumran National Park | Southern District Judean Desert and the Dead Sea | |
| Sebastia National Park (Samaria/Shomron)[11] | Central District |
This is a partial list, containing only the best known nature reserves.
| Name | Region | |
|---|---|---|
| Alonei Yitzhak Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Alonei Abba Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Amud Stream (Nahal Amud) Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Be'eri Badlands Nature Reserve | western Negev, Eshkol Regional Council | |
| Nitzanim Nature Reserve | Central District Southern Coastal Plain | |
| Soreq/Avshalom/Stalactites Cave | Central District | |
| Ayun/Iyyon Stream (Nahal Ayun/Iyyon) | Northern District | |
| Bethsaida (Beit Zaida/Betiha) Nature Reserve (archaeological site and nature reserve) | Northern District | |
| Betzet Stream (Nahal Betzet) | Northern District | |
| Balfouria | Northern District | |
| Bitan Aharon | Northern District | |
| Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in the Mount Carmel National Park | Northern District | |
| Coral Beach Nature Reserve | Eilat | |
| Dor HaBonim Beach Nature Reserve (with Dor Habonim marine nature reserve, Dor and Ma'agan Michael islands, Tel Dor National Park) | Northern District Mount Carmel coast | |
| Ein Afek Nature Reserve with Tel Afek (archaeological site and nature reserve) | Northern District Western Galilee | |
| Ein Gedi Nature Reserve (nature reserve with several archaeological sites; see also Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park) | Southern District Judean Desert and the Dead Sea | |
| Hurshat Tal | Northern District | |
| Hula Valley Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Kerem Ben Zimra | Northern District | |
| Kziv Stream (Nahal Kziv) Nature Reserve with Crusader-era Montfort Castle | Northern District | |
| Lifta (Mei Nephtoah) Nature Reserve | Jerusalem District | |
| Mount Arbel Nature Reserve with several archaeological sites | Northern District | |
| Mount Carmel Nature Reserve - see Mount Carmel National Park | Northern District | |
| Mount Gilboa Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Mount Meron Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Mount Tabor Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve - UNESCO Site of Human Evolution (paleoanthropological sites)[12] | Northern District | |
| Neot Kedumim Nature Reserve with biblical garden and wildlife breeding center | Central District near Modi'in and the Ben Shemen forest | |
| Pa'ar Cave Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Poleg Stream (Nahal Poleg) Nature Reserve | Central District | |
| Rosh HaNikra Nature Reserve - marine caves and 20th-century tunnels | Northern District Western Galilee | |
| Shimron Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Tabor/Tavor Stream (Nahal Tavor) | Northern District | |
| Taninim Stream (Nahal Taninim) Nature Reserve | Northern District Mount Carmel coast | |
| Tel Dan Nature Reserve including major archaeological site | Northern District | |
| Tel Anafa Nature Reserve around archaeological site | Northern District | |
| Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve (desert wildlife) | Eilat region:the Arava Valley north of Eilat | |
| Zakum (Maoz Haim) Nature Reserve | Northern District Beit She'an Valley |
| Name | Region | |
|---|---|---|
| Ein Prat Nature Reserve[13] | Jerusalem district, West Bank | |
| Einot Tzukim (Ein Feshkha) Nature Reserve (nature reserve and archaeological site) | Southern District Judean Desert and the Dead Sea (West Bank) | |
| Gamla Nature Reserve (archaeological site and nature reserve) | Northern District | |
| Hermon Stream (Banias) Nature Reserve (with Caesarea Philippi archaeological site) | Northern District | |
| Snir Stream (Nahal Senir) Nature Reserve | Northern District | |
| Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve | Northern District Golan Heights down to Sea of Galilee |
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