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Tour the Negev with KKL-JNF
March 10, 2016
Since it was established 114 years ago, KKL-JNF (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund) has been developing Israel and caring for its residents'
quality of life. KKL-JNF's main areas of activity are forestry and the
environment; water and stream rehabilitation; creating communities and
forging roads; environmental and heritage education for children and youth;
tourism and community park and forest projects; and research and
development. KKL-JNF shares its knowledge and its practical application,
particularly in the fields of sustainable forestry and arid land agriculture, with
countries around the world and KKL-JNF's experts represent Israel at
professional, international, scientific and environmental conferences.
The Negev
The Negev is more than half of Israel's land area, but is inhabited by only
eight percent of the country's total population. It has the most sensitive
ecosystem, which KKL-JNF is committed to developing sustainably. The
ecological initiatives that KKL-JNF promotes impact on all aspects of Negev
life and serve as a model of desert development for the world.
Water is the basic resource for sustaining life and growth in the desert region;
the prerequisite for building communities. With only between 50 to 200 mm of
annual rain, much of which is lost in flashfloods, KKL-JNF has developed
close to ninety water management projects in the Negev. These include
harvesting Negev floodwaters and reusing them for irrigation; developing
sewage treatment plants and building reservoirs to store recycled, treated
wastewater, an inexpensive source of water for farming; and developing
constructed wetlands which, in addition to purifying water, serve as parks and
recreation areas.
Development also includes suitably planned and planted community parks for
the Negev cities of Ofakim, Yeruham and Sderot. KKL-JNF has helped endow
Be'er Sheva and Dimona with parks that promise to transform neglected
areas into vibrant environments. KKL-JNF has endorsed green construction
policies for all new housing. An international architectural competition is being
organized in the search for the best proposals for building an entire green
neighborhood in the Negev; a model which can be adopted for further
residential neighborhoods.
The Negev is world renowned for its remarkable achievements in arid land
agriculture and shares its unique expertise in the field with other countries
dealing with similar climatic challenges. To ensure the future of this vital
activity, KKL-JNF continues to support research and its implementation in
sustainable agricultural.
The Negev is the site of renewable energy projects that are supported by
KKL-JNF, such as the development of photovoltaic solar energy systems.
KKL-JNF is honored to host you on a tour of the Negev and we wish you a
pleasant visit!
The German States Forest
The German States Forest is located in the southern part of the Lahav Forest,
which lies south of the Lower Judean Plain in the direction of Beersheba,
covering an area of more than 3,000 ha. With the support of friends of JNF
Germany, KKL JNF started planting this forest in 1952. The forest now
comprises more than half a million trees, with species including pine, acacia
and eucalyptus, and serves as a respite from the desert and a green lung for
its surrounding communities. In the forest depths, the visitor encounters
carefully carved, stone pillars forming an arc, suggesting a bridge or elevated
water canal. The names of individuals, communities and institutions from
throughout Germany are inscribed on them; a message of friendship. KKLJNF has dedicated the forest to the German States for their part in making the
Negev green. Despite the fact that the forest receives a scarce average
annual of some 250 mm of rain, it blooms, helps keep the encroaching desert
at bay and provides habitats for many animal species. Its hilly terrain reaches
heights of 495 m above sea level, and KKL-JNF has created scenic outlooks
at points which afford breathtaking views. The forest contains a center for
regional studies, recreation areas, archaeological remains, underground
tunnels, and hiking and bicycle trails.
Halutsiot Communities
The Halutsiot Communities, Bene Netsarim, Naveh and Shlomit, were
established in the Halutsa Sands in the western Negev, close to the Egyptian
border. They were created for the former residents of two Gush Katif
communities, Atsmona and Netsarim, who left their homes under the
Disengagement Plan in 2005. KKL-JNF, with the help of its friends worldwide,
reclaimed land for housing and agriculture, paved roads and was responsible
for landscaping the communities and developing public parks. In the summer
of 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, KKL-JNF provided these
vulnerable communities with life-saving bomb shelters.
Resources & Development Division
Projects & Marketing Department
Jerusalem 2016