Israel's secret gardens where rare species on the brink of disappearance are being saved

Since 2007, the Nature and Parks Authority has been establishing refuge gardens for endangered plants at several sites across the country, with the aim of conserving rare plants that are at risk of disappearance and in need of protection. Today, a broad network operates comprising about 15 sites, including five main refuge gardens, seven refuge plots, three dedicated conservation projects, and four greenhouses for growing rare plants that enable research, propagation, and return to nature. In each garden, one can find the plants representing an endangered habitat close to the site.

The gardens also serve as a base for seed collection, propagation, and sapling preparation, and are used for returning plants to nature and restoring damaged habitats. Thus, for example, over the past decade, 40 species of endangered plants have been returned to nature at various sites across the country, as part of broad restoration programs. Beyond this, the refuge gardens constitute an important tool for raising public awareness regarding the issue of endangered plants, and for some of the plants, they constitute a vital "breeding nucleus" for their continued conservation.

Merav Lebel Vine, a plant and vegetation ecologist in the Science Division of the Nature and Parks Authority, notes that in the refuge gardens they protect endangered plants, learn to know them better, and understand what they need in order to germinate, grow, and even establish new populations. "Beyond this, the refuge gardens allow the general public to get to know the rare plants of Israel and their natural habitats in a way that is accessible to everyone," she adds. "Some of the plants that we grow in the refuge gardens are not grown in any other garden in the country, so this is an opportunity both to get to know them and to protect them. The refuge gardens make it possible not only to see the beauty and colorfulness of the rare plants, but also to understand the importance of conserving and returning endangered species. Each garden is part of a broader effort to conserve the country's biodiversity, and to give future generations an opportunity to get to know our special species and habitats. The refuge gardens offer an educational experience where nature conservation, science, and research meet in one place."

The garden was established in 2014 and offers a unique experience of nature conservation, education, and introduction to the biodiversity of the Beit Netofa Valley. In the garden is a variety of habitats – heavy soils, traditional agricultural fields, humid areas, an orchard, and a geophyte plot that were salvaged from infrastructure works, alongside a greenhouse for growing plants for the purpose of returning them to nature and restoring habitats. Here, one can see rare and special species such as Astragalus crinitus, Scandix palaestina, Alkanna galilaea, and Vicia esdraelonensis, alongside less rare wild plants characteristic of these habitats. The plants are adapted to their habitat: The field plants survive and multiply alongside field crops of traditional varieties, and thus heavy soil plants that were harmed by modern agriculture receive an opportunity here to return and establish themselves. The refuge garden at Zippori National Park offers an experience that connects nature conservation, research, education, and introduction to the biodiversity of our country.

Already at the inception of the refuge garden, in 2008, they succeeded in growing here and returning to nature species such as Phlomis rotata and Notobasis syriaca. Later on, new plots were established with additional plants, among them Teucrium parviflorum, Salvia palaestina, and Rubia tinctorum, and a thriving breeding nucleus of Alkanna galilaea was even established, which constitutes a direct continuation of the population at the margins of the fields, just beyond the fence of the national park. Inside the park, Allium rotatum was also discovered growing here naturally. The plants, whose origin is in the margins of the fields that suffered greatly from agricultural cultivation, development, and the construction of a pumped-storage facility, receive conservation and protection here and fill the national park, both in the refuge plots and along the walking trails in the park. The care is carried out by the park staff with the assistance of ecologists from the Nature and Parks Authority and Uri Hendler, the gardener of the refuge gardens in the Northern District.

The garden, which was established in 2007, is located within the wet habitat characteristic of the reserve and forms part of the walking trail in the reserve. The idea for its establishment began with a rescue operation of the blue water lily, the flagship plant of the reserve, whose population had dwindled to only 3–4 specimens, and today dozens and even hundreds of specimens grow safely in several bodies of water within the boundaries of the garden. Later on, plants salvaged from development works around the Na'aman River were brought to the garden. In the garden, four habitats that characterize the Na'aman River and its surroundings are integrated: A wet habitat, a sand dune and wet depression, the kurkar ridge, and a coastal salt marsh. Among the endangered species that can be found in the garden: Blue water lily, Lavandula stoechas, Rosa phoenicia, Ipomoea sagittata, Neesia, Cynanchum acutum, Aster tripolium, Linum maritimum, Anacamptis palustris, Orchis palustris, and more.

The refuge garden was established in 2016 on existing terraces, and it combines historical sites with the preservation of local vegetation. Mature trees and the terrace walls covered with cyclamens and additional wild plants were integrated into the garden. Most of the plants in the garden were grown in the two botanical gardens of Jerusalem and in the Gene Bank, Volcani Institute, and some of them – such as Onosma gigantea and Iris hispanica – were relocated from development and construction sites to save them. The plant species in the garden represent the mountainous region in Judea and Samaria, including Mediterranean batha vegetation, frontier vegetation, spice plants, and traditional agricultural terrace plants. One can find over 20 endangered species, among them Onosma gigantea, Iris hispanica, Dipcadi erythraeum, Centarea, Salvia, Astragalus, and Ceratonia. The peak blooming of most species arrives in spring, but in other months too, spectacular germination and growth can be seen. The site staff, with the assistance of ecologists from the Nature and Parks Authority and volunteers, cares for the vegetation species.