Dr. Assaf Rosenthal was the director of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve for a decade during its declaration as a reserve. At the event held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the reserve, Dr. Rosenthal warned that today the number of visitors is not limited and that water no longer flows in the spring of Ein Gedi
I was recently invited to participate in a conference to mark fifty years since the declaration of the Ein Gedi Reserve. Before the conference I was asked if I would like to speak, and I answered in the affirmative because I had something to say about preserving nature in the reserve as someone who managed the reserve for about three years before it was declared a reserve and for about ten years, but due to the lack of time I was unable to.
Most of the speakers before me told about "tiger stories" and so when my time came I followed the speakers before me and told about the beginning of the discovery of the signs of the presence of tigers: tracks, diggings and droppings. I told how together with my friend Giora Ilani (Jel) we scattered lures in the wadis without success. I told about a night encounter with a tiger (from a distance of about five meters) and how we found a goat carcass next to which a vest was placed and the first pictures of a tiger were taken.
My time was up and all I could add was my astonishment at the crowding I saw in the parking lots of Nahal-Arugut and Nahal-David and the fact that there is no water flowing in Ma'ain Ein-Gadi. That's why I said at the end: "That's not how nature is preserved." To justify this statement I find it necessary to expand and tell the rest.
As part of the "Sadness Journey" I was saddened when I saw the condition of the first holding point of Ein-Gadi which was at the foot of Tel-Goren and after the kibbutz went up to the "Plato" it was a youth hostel. When I arrived in Ein-Gadi, I "captured" the upper blockhouse and turned it into the residences of the permanent workers in the reserve. It was my home for many years, so when the lodge moved, I continued to water the trees that made up a blooming garden.
No more! Today, dryness and abandonment rule the place. I was slightly encouraged by the news that there are intentions to preserve the place.
As a tourist guide on desert trips in Naot-HaKachar, I have been approached many times with suggestions and criticism on the subject of nature conservation. One of the instructors I worked with who became a friend was Ze'ev Shaham ("Titz", late), who was later appointed director of the southern district on behalf of the Authority, who knew my tendencies approached and offered me to "take over" the position of managing the Ein-Gadi reserve. "Capture" because until then the reserve was managed by Yossi Pelman ("The Arab"), and it was necessary to transfer the management of the reserve directly to the Nature and Parks Authority. When the main topic - water - was dictated by Kibbutz Ein-Gadi. I found myself in a situation where on the one hand I was pushing Yossi's legs and on the other hand I was fighting in the kibbutz for the amount of water that would flow in the reserve, a situation because of which I was identified as "not nice".
Today there are agreements and arrangements that should allow the flow of water in the streams and the Ein-Gadi spring. When I arrived at the conference, I saw that there was no water flowing in a kind of Ein-Gadi!
It turns out that the need to bottle "mineral water" outweighs agreements, arrangements and the importance of water to nature!
During the time when I managed the Ein-Gadi Reserve, as someone who cares about nature, I introduced prohibitions that are accepted today in many reserves and have become regulations. For example, the prohibition of bringing food into the reserve, the prohibition of lodging, and the closing of parts of the reserve where there was a ban on visiting travelers. This is how I also blocked the vehicle road that goes up to the Ein-Gadi spring.
It soon became clear to me that since I was responsible for parking lots, the occupation of many of the employees in the reserve was mainly cleaning and collecting garbage scattered by the parkers (it should be noted that today there are no parking lots).
After some time, I was appointed inspector of an area that included, in addition to Ein-Gadi, the southern Judean Desert, the Arad Valley, Hachira crater and the eastern Zin stream, the northern and middle steppes, and of course the shores of the Dead Sea (today five inspectors are employed in this area).
Cessation of deer hunting
Since the preservation of nature was at the forefront of my mind, conflicts arose between me and visitors, residents and among the Bedouins. Again I got the name of "the unkind sheriff". Admittedly "not nice", but during my time the hunting of goats almost stopped, groups of travelers learned to behave in the field, contractors who worked for the Dead Sea factories knew that they should not harm nature, residents of settlements knew to contact me in case of damage from wild animals, again behaviors that today are accepted and common .
One of the things that bothered me was the overcrowding created on every holiday and the mass school trips. So I also learned the concept of "carrying capacity" and the essential need to manage any area, especially a nature reserve, according to its carrying capacity. That is to say, first of all, one must investigate, measure and study the carrying capacity of the reserve, verify the damage caused to the area by human presence - then determine the level of allowed density and establish a compromise between the damage to the reserve by travelers and the need to manage the area so that it remains natural.
But then, like today, there is no reference to carrying capacity in our environment.
carrying capacity
In Passover 1969, the road from Ein Gedi to Jerusalem was opened.
After the first day I understood the problem when a large crowd flooded Nahal-David. I "freaked out" and found a solution: before the opening of the road, a parking lot was prepared at the entrance to Nahal David. When the lot was full - I placed an inspector who prevented cars from entering, but visitors parked the car along the (narrow) road and the crowding continued. With no choice, I contacted the Arad police with a request to prevent illegal and dangerous parking along the road.
Thus due to the size of the parking lot - control was established over the number of visitors, although, in my opinion, it was too large a number. In 1971, when the reserve was declared, a fee was introduced for the entrance to Nahal-David and the pressure decreased a little when some visitors went to Nahal Argot.
Many years have passed in which I repeatedly plead, demand, demand and request: "Please conduct a survey of the population and set a quota of visitors" - all this without a response.
A carrying survey is needed not only for reserves but for every place and area where people stay: sites, forests, beaches and more.
During the Corona period, I was happy to see that there is indeed a limit on the number of visitors, although not because of an intention to preserve nature, but because of health guidelines.
If an epidemic and health guidelines are needed to preserve nature - this is also for the better.
I thought and hoped that the restrictions would continue even after the epidemic passed, but then the invitation to the conference came, and when I arrived in Ein-Gadi, I approached the entrances to Nahal-Arugut and Nahal-David and was amazed: the parking lots were expanded, with many private cars parked in each lot and dozens of buses parked in each lot.
It is clear that all the passengers flocked back and forth and flooded the paths of the reserve.
I was also amazed and saddened by the dry appearance of the vicinity of Mein Ein-Gadi and by the fact that there were no trickles of water in the waterfalls that were east of Mein.
Site managers, planners, mayors and more will come and go, and claim that our country is crowded. True, I have referred to the problem of human density in general many times, but according to law, the Nature and Parks Authority is not obligated to show a positive financial balance, and is not supposed to deal with human density in our immediate surroundings - its duty is to preserve nature!
Therefore, after being amazed and saddened by what I saw, after witnessing the dryness and overcrowding, I ended my speech at the conference with: "This is not how nature is preserved!".
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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The "nature conservation" authorities are currently not doing their job. The training is embarrassing "and the professionals" really don't know and know the place they are. What there is is officials who charge entrance/parking fees and there is no significant training and certainly not education about nature values. The situation is embarrassing and it is not just a matter of sight Capricorn I meet this in many places and it's a pity. It seems that someone has forgotten his role. There is no vision, there are many prohibitions without education and it seems that what is important is the profit line.
...but I'm not an expert, just an ordinary traveler for the past 45 years.
Assaf Rosenthal
The PM was sent to the "authority"
A few days before publication in the news
In order to get a response,
except that instead of reacting to defaults,
Instead of treating dryness and density,
I received a call from the manager of the reserve
Enraged, insulted and upset about: "How am I after you?"
who received compliments on his work
I dare to visit
The authority's response to the dryness and overcrowding - yuck!
And that's a shame!
In the photo: the first photograph of a tiger
Taken near Tel Goren (Ein-Gadi)...
Once there is an entrance fee and increasing the number of visitors translates into profits, the crowds cannot be stopped.