Even before nature conservation was a familiar concept, Dr. Uzi Paz already saw reserves and streams as cultural assets that needed to be protected. He dedicated his life to nature and left behind a legacy and vision.
Dr. Uzi Paz (1935–2025) was a biologist, zoologist, naturalist and environmental activist, one of the first to work to preserve the country's landscapes and animals. His first involvement in nature conservation was in 1957, when he moved to Eilat and worked as a supervisor at the Coral Coast Nature Reserve. This was a time when the concept of "nature conservation" was almost unknown to the general public, and the fight for every piece of landscape sometimes seemed hopeless in the face of the momentum of development and settlement. His work In Eilat It emphasized for him the need for a state framework that would protect natural resources for the common good. "We started in the coral reserve in Eilat, where there were no laws or rules. Everyone did what they wanted. It was a real challenge," Paz said. In a lecture In 2022. According to him, the challenge was not only with economic factors or development initiatives, but also with the public who had not yet understood the importance of preserving nature. Over the years, thanks to public awareness efforts and perseverance, a profound change in consciousness has occurred. "The great success was in public understanding and recognition of the importance of preserving nature," he said.
In 1959, Paz founded the Nature Conservation Section in the Ministry of Agriculture – an unprecedented step that transformed nature conservation from the concern of a handful of volunteers into a state responsibility. Together with Prof. Amotz Zahavi, he led the initiative to establish the Nature Reserves Authority (now the Nature and Parks Authority), and upon its establishment in 1964, Paz was appointed its first director. A year later, he transferred the position to Maj. Gen. (res.) Avraham Yaffe, and Paz himself continued to serve as the Authority's Chief Scientist until 1980. After that, he continued to act, advise, write, teach and influence.
"Uzi was a true nature conservationist," says Dr. Yehoshua Shkedi, the former chief scientist at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, who was a colleague and professional partner of Paz over the years. "He was a man who came to nature to protect it. Without posturing, without paperwork and without a political agenda," he says. Shkedi helped Paz publish his books and the two met frequently on professional matters. "When his phone rang, I would ask myself, 'What did I do not do well enough this time?'" he says with humor. "He had criticisms, but they were always relevant, precise and to the heart of the matter. He was not a bother," says Shkedi. One of the issues he particularly devoted himself to was the plight of the palm trees inEvronaPaz argued that every effort must be made to save them, even if it was the natural end of their life cycle, because he saw them as an environmental symbol that must be protected. "I disagreed with him on the matter, but when he would pick up the phone and make a comment or insist, it was always from a pure place: a genuine desire to improve the management of nature," Shkedi says.
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