KKL-JNF's Pasture Unit was founded four years ago, to deal with the rising number of fires. It operates in Northern, Southern and Central Israel, in collaboration with farmers and owners of animal herds who move their herds through KKL-JNF's open fields and manage to prevent 80% of the open-field fires.
The paddock, located at the Ben Shemen Forest, was designed to be big enough and provide comfortable living for the animals when they arrive. The paddock is about 1 acre big, and is surrounded by two security fences, which helps control of the herds and reduces the risk of animal injury by predators, thieves and other cases of vandalism.
Yair Abutbul, Pasture Coordinator at KKL-JNF, who also leads the project: "beyond the excellent protection that the paddock provides the herds, having a well-organized place for the herds to sleep benefits both travelers and the natural environment. Before we built the paddock, the herds would spread on a much larger territory, which caused damage to the site and brought unwanted encounters between the animals and the travelers and cyclists." Ilan Tibi, Manager of the National Pasture Unit in KKL-JNF, adds that "It's a great achievement for us, a highly successful pilot, and we now discuss expanding the project to dozens of other paddocks all over Israel."
Photograph: Camal Alian, KKL-JNF