SPNI Serves as Steward of Israel’s Environment

A trip in 1997 was the first time both Hugh Mainzer, then in his early 30s, and his father, had traveled to Israel. The two visited many landmarks and religious sites, but also seeking different kinds of experiences, the father and son decided to find walking trails and connect with hiking groups. From this first experience and subsequent excursions in Israel, often with his wife and children, Mainzer became acquainted with SPNI, the Society to Protect Nature in Israel.

Founded in 1953, SPNI not only maintains the country’s popular hiking trails, but it is Israel’s largest and oldest nonprofit dedicated to conservation, environmental education and advocacy through its many innovative programs.

Mainzer, a long-time public health professional and a veterinarian by training, is a supervisory epidemiologist and preventive medicine officer currently working in CDC’s Office of Readiness and Response. His love of the outdoors and especially his many positive experiences with SPNI in Israel have led him to become more involved in the cause through Nature Israel, the U.S. “friends” organization that supports SPNI.

Mainzer helped host a presentation on Feb. 17 by SPNI Director of Partnerships and Development Jay Shofet in Atlanta at Ohr Hatorah, a Modern Orthodox shul in Toco Hills where Mainzer is a member. Shofet, who hails from upstate New York, made Aliyah in 1986 and works out of Tel Aviv. During the same visit in February, Shofet attended Ramah Darom’s B’teavon culinary retreat where he gave talks about Israeli nature, and his wife, American-Israeli cookbook author Adeena Sussman, was a headliner who spoke about her new book, “Zariz.”

At the Ohr Hatorah gathering, Shofet introduced SPNI’s work and spoke about some of Israel’s natural wonders and the country’s ecological challenges. Despite its small size, explained Shofet, Israel is considered a global biodiversity hotspot.

“That means we have more species of flora and fauna, of plants and animal life, than 97 percent of the globe, because where we are we have the northernmost species of Africa, the westernmost species of Asia, and the southernmost species of Europe all intermingling on this tiny little land bridge that is Israel/Palestine. And that’s true of all the animals and plants. It’s really incredible.”

But some of Israel’s own policies have worked against its natural ecology. While planting trees in Israel has long been viewed as a mitzvah, Shofet explained that the practice of afforestation has, in fact, been harmful. Not only have the wrong kinds of (non-native) trees been planted in the wrong places, but there has been a misunderstanding that the land is not actually desert, but a Mediterranean scrubland type of ecosystem, which is rich in local ecology and better off left alone. Consequently, these plantings have resulted in cycles of devastating fires that destroy the land and harm wildlife, and SPNI has strongly advocated against such practices. An extensive report, “The Need to Stop Afforestation in Sensitive Natural Sensitive Ecosystems in Israel, and Conserve Israel’s Natural Landscapes,” describes the problem in detail and proposes solutions.

Another SPNI initiative is rehabilitation of the communities, infrastructure, and natural areas that were destroyed in war after Oct. 7, especially in the north, where two years of conflict has left 55,000 acres scorched and imperiled the water system. Likewise, SPNI is developing recovery plans with communities of the Western Negev to ensure the revitalization of both the communities themselves, along with their environmental resources. The planned Living Trail, for example, is intended to provide the region an economic boost by connecting the beautiful natural areas with communities and their local businesses.

An SPNI Startup Nature program helps restore Israel’s wetlands. According to SPNI’s 2025 Annual Report, 13 rewilding projects are on track to achieve 25 percent of the country’s long-term conservation goals by restoring over 3,000 additional acres by 2030. With partnership support, the organization is “revolutionizing Israeli conservation through innovative water management, habitat design, and community involvement.” Similar priorities include protecting and reinvigorating Israel’s rivers and seas and making Israeli businesses greener.

As the world’s second largest bird migration fly route, Shofet explained, “Almost the entire Eurasian population of pelicans, cranes, storks, raptors, songbirds, and butterflies migrate over this little land bridge that is Israel on their way to Africa every fall and come back every spring.” In support, SPNI continues to expand its birding network, which not only helps ensure safe passage for nearly a half-billion migrating birds, but is creating new research hubs and eco-tourism destinations.

With so much of Israeli’s population experiencing trauma and a shortage of mental health professionals, SPNI’s mental health and youth programs are more in demand than ever. Its Nature Heals program uses the healing power of nature to provide treatment for victims of trauma, depression, and anxiety. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the program has helped more than 130,000 evacuees, soldiers, and survivors of terror attacks.

Innovative youth programs include a four-day immersive traveling outdoor camp for teens that combines teamwork and guided reflection as well as the “Green Entrepreneur” (Yazam Yarok) clubs, that encourage students to take the lead on hands-on community projects to solve local environmental challenges.

In the organization’s 2025 Annual Report, SPNI CEO Dan Alon wrote: “It is said that in Israel, we experience a decade of history every single day. In such a fast-moving reality, the work of conservation can feel like a paradox. We plant seeds today that may not bear fruit for a generation. We fight battles for landscapes that many will only appreciate years from now.”

For Hugh Mainzer, what’s important in educating others about SPNI’s work is “getting people to tie into what’s going on in Israel in terms of the land, in terms of the ecology, in terms of conservation. Whether it’s the birds, whether it’s the marine life in the Mediterranean, taking healthy gazelles from Jerusalem’s Gazelle Valley and releasing them back into the wild, or putting water back into the Dead Sea — all that is important for us to understand.”

For more information about SPNI, visit https://www.teva.org.il/. To learn how to support SPNI, visit https://natureisrael.org/.