Baseline Information Must Inform Conservation Policies
Effective conservation measures must rely on up-to-date, high-resolution knowledge of the habitat or system targeted for protection, and the biological interactions between it and its greater environment. For this reason the first step of any conservation project is often a detailed basic research of the area, it's flora and its fauna.
Israel Taxonomic Initiative - Bats
Due to its geographic location, complex geology, and diverse topography, Israel has larger biodiversity than would be expected from its size and latitude. That is true for bats as well, but the exact number and taxonomic identity of the country's bats was not certain. As part of a larger initiative, I was the project manager and field-work supervisor of a two-year (2009-2011) project aiming to clarify the taxonomic picture of Israel's bats. See a poster with our results here. Regional bat surveys To identify important roosts, foraging sites, or activity corridors that need to be specifically addressed by conservation measures or long-term monitoring plans, I carried out a series of surveys - roost visits, acoustic monitoring, and mist-netting - throughout the country, laying the groundwork for a collaboratve conservation project between Tel Aviv University, the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI, the country's largest conservation NGO), and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA, the country's governmental environmental protection agency). Long term, nationwide, bat monitoring program Based on the preliminary surveys mentioned above, as well as on an existing local citizen science project and an extensive scientific database, we formed a group of bat scientists and conservation officials from Tel Aviv University, SPNI & INPA, that formulated an action-plan for the establishment of a long-term bat monitoring program for the entire country. As well as being part of that team, I was in charge of managing the first few years of this program, and making sure it is integrated into the work schedules of INPA field personnel. This program is a great success, and has been running fully independently since 2015. |
Conservation Projects
Conversion of military bunkers to bat roosts
After Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement in 1994, many bunkers along the Israeli side of the border were abandoned by the Israeli military, but remained in a closed military-zone, creating a de-facto nature reserve along much of the Jordan River. Soon, bats of 12 species have started moving in, inhabiting the empty bunkers as a replacement to the scarce natural roosts that were becoming less available due to human activities. We have modified these to better suit the bats, and we are constantly making sure the bunkers will remain undisturbed by fostering a successful dialog with the military and enlisting public engagement. Read about this ongoing project here.
Mitigation of bat mortality in wind farms
While wind energy is often regarded as "green" energy, and is definitely more environmentally sustainable than fossil-based fuels, it too has an environmental price, and is not the best option in all places. I was part of the scientific team advising the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Energy on the formation of standardized measures, during planning and operation of wind farms, to reduce bat and bird mortality. In parallel we created the formal guidelines for pre-construction surveys and approval thresholds for the INPA. We have also tried to convince policy-makers that a country located in the sunny middle-east, and in the midst of one of the world's largest bird-migration routes, should invest in solar energy rather than wind. Recently we see the policy starting to shift to solar.
After Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement in 1994, many bunkers along the Israeli side of the border were abandoned by the Israeli military, but remained in a closed military-zone, creating a de-facto nature reserve along much of the Jordan River. Soon, bats of 12 species have started moving in, inhabiting the empty bunkers as a replacement to the scarce natural roosts that were becoming less available due to human activities. We have modified these to better suit the bats, and we are constantly making sure the bunkers will remain undisturbed by fostering a successful dialog with the military and enlisting public engagement. Read about this ongoing project here.
Mitigation of bat mortality in wind farms
While wind energy is often regarded as "green" energy, and is definitely more environmentally sustainable than fossil-based fuels, it too has an environmental price, and is not the best option in all places. I was part of the scientific team advising the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Energy on the formation of standardized measures, during planning and operation of wind farms, to reduce bat and bird mortality. In parallel we created the formal guidelines for pre-construction surveys and approval thresholds for the INPA. We have also tried to convince policy-makers that a country located in the sunny middle-east, and in the midst of one of the world's largest bird-migration routes, should invest in solar energy rather than wind. Recently we see the policy starting to shift to solar.