Borderless Conservation of the Ecological Corridor

Our conference “Borderless Conservation of the Ecological Corridor - Nature Conservation in Israel and Palestine” took place in Tel Aviv on April 5. in cooperation with our partner the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNI). The conference presented the results of our EU Partnership for Peace (PfP) project and raised awareness for the need for cross-border cooperation in nature conservation and environmental protection. The conference emphasized the importance of the border area as an ecological corridor to protect the biological diversity, and addressed the challenges that came up while trying to protect the natural areas in the face of development.

The lectures at the conference addressed the following topics:

1. "The Ecological Corridor: Nature Conservation vs. Urban Expansion and the Middle    Ground"

2. "Green News from the West Bank"

3. "Working Across Borders and Cooperation, is that still Possible?"

The lecturers presented the political and natural cooperation difficulties and challenges when protecting nature within the ecological corridor, and discussed the threats nature is facing due to urban development. In addition, a new, strategic plan for the establishment of nature reserves in the Palestinian Authority was presented as well as a Masterplan for one of the Nature Reserves in the Palestinian Authority. The newly created website mahmiyat.ps about protected areas and nature conservation in Palestine was also presented. 

Concluding the conference was a discussion-round with the audience, during which audience members highlighted the importance of the conference topics on a personal and professional level, praising the cross-border nature protection work. The conference was covered by several radio stations.