Hoping for collaboration prompted by the EU
The plan may be sound on paper, but unfortunately, convincing these countries to collaborate is quite a challenge, with many officially at war with each other. Because of this, conservation groups have tended to focus their efforts on smaller indigenous regions. Still, with deteriorating conditions in the marine environment and on land, Kark believes the time is ripe for a sea change in
right the way countries manage their future.
A bird researcher and animal conservationist, Kark is the third generation of her family to work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU). Born in Jerusalem some 40 years ago, she sees her work as part of the family legacy. A mother of two boys, she is encouraged by the joint projects that Israel is involved in with Jordan and Egypt.
While Israel's peaceful relations with the two countries are lukewarm at best, collaboration on government and academic levels does exist, some in the field of conservation. A sabbatical year at Queensland University in Australia, where Kark is an honorary professor, led to connections with Egyptian biologists who are "interested in what we do," she tells ISRAEL21c.
Kark hopes that through EU partners, who can broker projects, many more joint conservation projects will be instigated in the Mediterranean region, which also includes countries such as Italy, Greece, France, and Spain with which Israel has friendly relations. "Conservation is the easiest way to go. Birds and other animals don't stop at the border... polluted water doesn't stop flowing at
right the border," she says
