Senior officials in the Ministry of Environmental Protection sent a letter to members of the management of the Fund for the Preservation of Open Spaces, warning of the Finance Ministry’s intention to divert half of the budget for the conservation of nature reserves and streams in favor of umbrella agreements. “Blindness and lack of understanding of the implications will inevitably lead to great neglect and increase environmental hazards in the violated territories throughout the country.”
By Doron Broitman, Nadlan Center
Strong opposition by the Ministry of Environmental Protection to changing the purpose of the Open Spaces Fund in the new Arrangements Law. In a letter sent by senior ministry officials to members of the board of directors of the Fund for the Preservation of Open Spaces, they warn that the move will lead to “a fatal blow to the state’s ability to rehabilitate open spaces and preserve natural resources.”
The letter, signed by Tamar Raviv, head of the Biodiversity and Open Areas Division at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Rani Amir, senior deputy director general of natural resources, planning, and climate resilience at the ministry, said: “It would be a big mistake to approve this decision. Approval of the decision means a fatal blow to the state’s ability to rehabilitate open spaces, deal with environmental hazards, and carry out actions to preserve natural resources and biodiversity currently carried out by all statutory bodies entitled to receive budgets from the fund.”
It added that this decision “creates inequality and imbalance with most authorities without umbrella agreements. Moreover, the approval of this decision, especially during the war, when over 300 dunams of open spaces throughout the country were already damaged, shows blindness and a lack of understanding of the environmental and ecological implications of the war, especially its long-term effects. This decision will harm our ability to rehabilitate open spaces after the war, inevitably leading to great neglect and increasing environmental hazards in the violated areas throughout the country. In particular, this will be a shot of sand in the eyes of the heads of the regional councils on the conflict lines, who have been busy for over a year dealing with the war and the damage caused by the war, including the destruction of open spaces.”
Half of the budget for nature conservation will be allocated to umbrella agreements
In the Arrangements Law for 2025, the state seeks to change the fund’s purpose for preserving open spaces so that 50% of the fund’s budget will be earmarked for planning and developing open spaces and recreational areas included in the plans advanced in umbrella agreements. This is to “streamline the use of Open Space Fund budgets and support the preservation of open spaces in local authorities where there is accelerated development.” The budget allocated to developing green spaces outside cities with streams, lakes, and nature reserves will be significantly reduced. It should be noted that over a decade of activity, the Open Spaces Fund has funded over 1,000 environmental projects totaling over NIS 1.5 billion.
The Nature and Parks Authority also opposes this section of the Arrangements Law because, they claim, this decision “will harm one of the most significant tools for preserving open spaces, ecosystems and natural spaces designated for Israeli residents.” According to the Nature and Parks Authority, urban public areas should also be developed. However, the funds for their development should not come at the fund’s expense but at the cost of the developers and umbrella agreements, as is the case today.
Moreover, according to the Nature and Parks Authority, the proposed amendment contradicts the goals of establishing the fund in the Israel Land Law as defined in the law: “Assistance in financing the preservation, environmental development and cultivation of open spaces outside built-up urban areas, including open spaces that are important for preserving biodiversity and ecosystems in Israel, parks and recreational areas.” According to the authority, the law explicitly states that the fund’s funds will be earmarked for open spaces outside urban areas. The Foundation’s objectives explicitly excluded the development of public spaces within cities.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel is also launching a public campaign to mobilize the public to submit objections to the proposal. Assaf Zanzuri, director of planning at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, says that the decision promoted by the Ministry of Finance harms a functioning fund that significantly contributes to environmental and landscape development in Israel. “The fund promotes projects at all levels and enables the development and rehabilitation of significant open spaces, which have no other source of budget and have a cross-border impact on an extensive public. When the fund clause was enacted, the government and legislators understood that it was necessary to compensate nature and open spaces for development initiatives and to allocate one percent of state revenues from land development to preserve unique open spaces.
“For our sake and for those who come after us. To the extent that correction is needed, in light of population growth and climate change, there is a growing need for large, functional open spaces for the public and nature, so the government should increase the fund’s budget and certainly not cut it.”
The Fund for the Preservation of Open Spaces operates within the framework of the Israel Lands Authority (ILA), and was established by the Israel Land Authority Law. The source of the fund’s funds is 1% of ILA revenues from land development. The fund was established in 2012 by Amendment 7 to the Israel Land Authority Law, passed by the Knesset in 2009 as part of the discussions on the reform of the Israel Lands Administration. The fund is headed by the Director General of the Israel Land Authority (currently Yanky Quint), and its management consists of 8 additional members, including the Director General of the Ministry of Housing, the Head of the Planning Administration, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and green organizations.
