Project Green Hawk, carried out jointly with the Nature and Parks Authority, aims to study and minimize the ecological impact of the security fence
A groundbreaking joint project of the Nitzan Field Intelligence Battalion and the Nature and Parks Authority is exploring the ecological consequences of the security fence, while taking steps to minimize these phenomena.
Shortly before the start of the construction of the security fence, Dr. Yehoshua Shkedy and Dr. Eli Sadot of the Nature and Parks Authority published a study emphasizing the importance of "ecological corridors" – large, accessible areas that allow for the spreading of genes, ultimately giving populations the genetic variety that reduces their chances of developing illnesses and disorders.
In light of the importance of ecological corridors, Moti Shefi, head of the Samaria Region of the Nature and Parks Authority, and other representatives of the Authority in the region – authorities with extensive knowledge of the area surrounding the fence – joined forces with the Nitzan Field Intelligence Battalion to research and protect animal populations in the area around the fence. They have been working together on Project Green Hawk for the past five years.
In the initial research component of Project Green Hawk, field intelligence spotters recorded the presence of various animals in the area of the fence, while carrying out their routine observation of the area. Subsequently, it was also decided to make recordings of some of the animals, so as to broaden the research. Inspectors of the Nature and Parks Authority receive some of the recordings and data that are collected, which allow them to map the ecological changes.
In addition to tracking animals, the Nitzan Battalion also works with the Civil Administration to prevent the poaching and capture of animals, and it alerts IDF forces when it discovers such activities. "In recent years, a representative of the Nature and Parks Authority has accompanied every battalion that has entered this area and has participated in our situation assessments as well. Our awareness of the matter of poaching and capturing [animals] is very high, and we do a great deal to prevent that," Col. Nimrod Aloni, previous commander of the Samaria Brigade, said to the IDF Website.
The construction of the security fence began in the early 2000s, to put an end to the suicide bombings and other attacks that terrorized Israelis during the Second Intifada – attacks in which over one thousand Israelis were murdered. The fence has been remarkably effective in achieving its objective, in conjunction with IDF activities such as Operation Defensive Shield.
The Defense Ministry's Security Fence Project Management Team consulted on the matter of environmental harm caused by the security fence, but the fence's route was chosen primarily on the basis of security concerns. Although that route has been changed significantly because of Supreme Court decisions demanding adjustments so as not to harm the quality of life of the Palestinian population, the fence still cut through ecological corridors in the Jordan Valley and western Samaria – causing harm to animal development over the course of time.
"There is no doubt that the security fence plays a significant role in the decrease in attempted terror attacks in the area around Jerusalem. The physical barrier has proved itself and continues to prove the strength of the sector," explained a senior intelligence official in the Binyamin Regional Brigade.
Both Lt. Col. Shimi and Moti Shefi agree with this assessment. "When we asked to install passages for large mammals during the planning of the fence, the Ministry of Defense told us that where a large mammal could cross, a small terrorist could also cross, and they were 100 percent correct," Shefi said.
But with some creative thinking, a solution has been devised that would allow mammals to cross without injury, without compromising the security of Israeli civilians. Last year, after the route of the security fence in the village of Bil'in was changed to improve the living conditions of Palestinians in the area, in line with a Supreme Court decision, a significant upgrade was made to the fence – the "Lamed" passage, so named because of its resemblance to the Hebrew letter of that name.
"Our friends from the Southern District brought the 'Lamed' passage, a concrete installation with sharp angles, shaped like the letter," said Shefi. "The opening is 35 by 35 centimeters, four times more than what we originally requested. A person cannot physically cross it due to the sharp angles, because we do not have a flexible spine like the animals'.
Currently, animals such as foxes, coyotes, dogs, young deer, porcupines, and caracals can cross safely. In light of the success of the "Lamed" passage, it has been decided to install identical crossings in the fence currently being built along the Israeli-Egyptian border.
Project Green Hawk similarly led to steps taken to protect owl populations. After the construction of the fence, soldiers would often discover trapped owls along it. This problem tended to become more common during the spring, when the young birds would hatch. "The inspectors suggested an idea that led to quiet in the region – during the mating season, tall rods would be installed, on which they owls would land. Also along the rest of the fence, high metal poles were placed, on which owls land as a substitute landing surface," explained Lt. Col. Shimi, describing the daughter project – Project Green Owl.
Shefi expressed great satisfaction with the accomplishments of Project Green Hawk. "We gathered an amazing amount of data on animals along the entire fence, including the rare ones," he stated. "In my view, this is groundbreaking. The project has great potential to tracking animals and, no less important, to help maintain the ecologically-friendly values of all those who participate.”