KKL-JNF is preserving endangered species with Jerusalem Botanical Garden and Eshtaol Nursery

A collaborative conservation initiative is yielding significant results in Israel, with rare and endangered plant species beginning to produce seeds and flower once again. The joint effort, led by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), Eshtaol Nursery, and the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, aims to bolster the survival of vulnerable plant populations.

Recent successes include the nearly-endangered spiked fenugreek, a plant valued for its culinary and medicinal uses, which has begun yielding fruit. The bristly cephalaria, known for its difficulty in cultivation outside its natural habitat, has also germinated and bloomed, marking a considerable breakthrough. These developments are crucial for species that face a high risk of extinction.

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The research project on endangered plants is advancing in great strides, and today we know how to propagate more than 500 different species. Our nursery team, and especially Nadav Herman, work tirelessly day and night and are succeeding in this mission through the fruitful and productive cooperation between the Botanical Garden and KKL-JNF.

Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir, scientific director of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, highlighted the project's progress, stating, "The research project on endangered plants is advancing in great strides, and today we know how to propagate more than 500 different species." He credited the nursery team's tireless work and the productive cooperation between the institutions. Seeds from these successful cultivations are being collected and stored in protected locations, including the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Plant Gene Bank, creating a vital safeguard for biodiversity.

Beyond these specific species, the initiative has also seen the successful nursery cultivation of jointed goatgrass, potentially useful for agricultural research, and the unexpected discovery of a white-tunicated garlic population. The Jerusalem Botanical Garden is now playing a dual role as a research site and a crucial refuge for rare wild plants. Rotem Attias, manager of Eshtaol Nursery, emphasized the significance of these successes: "The greatest significance is not only that a rare plant succeeds in flowering here, but that it completes its life cycle, produces seeds, and sometimes even establishes itself independently in the field. Every such seed is another layer of security for a species that could disappear from nature."

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The greatest significance is not only that a rare plant succeeds in flowering here, but that it completes its life cycle, produces seeds, and sometimes even establishes itself independently in the field. Every such seed is another layer of security for a species that could disappear from nature.