Hamaarag – Israel’s National Ecosystem Assessment Program

Hamaarag – Israel’s National Ecosystem Assessment Program was founded in 2006 as a partnership framework between the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Steinhardt Museum of Nature History – the Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies in Tel Aviv University.

Hamaarag essential mission is to proceed to the assessment of the state of nature in Israel in order to enable knowledge and science-based management of Israel’s open landscapes and biodiversity.

Hamaarag enhances the promotion of scientific know-how regarding the management of open landscapes and natural resources by continuously creating and sharing scientific knowledge about the state ecosystems and biodiversity in Israel. This information is accessible to decision makers focused on open landscape management, researchers and to the general public.

Hamaarag activities include: coordination of the National Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Program, management of national monitoring programs following ecological disasters, editing and publishing the

State of Nature Report, coordinating and publishing the National Assessment Program for Ecosystems and Human Wellbeing, developing and coordinating the National Index of Biodiversity.

Monitoring processing is performed by researchers from academic research institutions and professional structures under Hamaarag mentoring.

Guidelines

Hamaarag activity is based on three core principles:

Excellence and Professionalism: Hamaarag strives so that all its outcomes meet the highest levels of scientific standards. For this purpose, Hamaarag maintains a close working relationship with the academic communities in Israel and abroad within the development of activities which take place in Hamaarag while submitting its outcomes to the assessments of colleagues.

Relevance: The goal of Hamaarag programs is to set up a knowledge database intended to be used by decision- makers working in open landscape management and to promote sustainable development. Research deals with issues such as continuous changes in the open landscape, pressing environmental issues, ecosystems and human beings relation built on a solid research platform, which is up-to-date and relevant for decision makers.

Autonomy & Transparency: Hamaarag aims to offer the public credible and objective information and enable access to scientific data about the environmental state in Israel to anyone who wishes to know more. Hamaarag provides the public with unlimited outcomes and data it has gathered.