National Outline Plan for Forests and Afforestation (NOP 22). Country/Territory Israel Document type Date 2011 Source FAO, FAOLEX Subject Forestry Keyword Afforestation/reforestation Biodiversity Capacity building Climate change Data collection/reporting Ecosystem preservation Erosion Forest management/forest conservation Forest species Forestry protection measures Fuelwood Governance Grazing Integrated management Survey/mapping National parks Protection forest Protection of environment Public health Recreational forest Research Social protection Sustainable development Sustainable use Timber Protected area Geographical area Asia, EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA, Mediterranean, Middle East, Western Asia Abstract This National Outline Plan for Forests and Afforestation is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at (i) protecting Israel’s vegetative resources, including its planted forests and natural woodlands; and (ii) maintaining the quality of the environment as an open, green hinterland for the population, for purposes of relaxation, leisure, and recreation. The document is in line with the constitutive principles of Agenda 21 arising from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) convened in Brazil and also known as the Rio Declaration - Earth Summit. Related to the two main goals, there are other objectives for the forestry management, they are (i) define forest areas: existing forests and areas zoned for forests, including planted forests, natural woodlands, forest parks, coastal forest parks, and riverside plantings; (ii) guarantee that forestry activity will be carried out conserving the country’s diversity and in consideration of the various landscape units; (iii) set guidelines and instructions for the planning and approval of detailed plans for proposed forests; (iv) set permissions, limitations, and prohibitions regarding land uses in forested areas or areas designated for forests; (v) establish the relationship between the plan and other plans and land uses. For each goal, subordinate aims have been stipulated and subdivided into the following categories: social, environmental, scenic-natural, and economic. Since the national outline plan was prepared in the early 1990s, the following local plans precisely define the forest boundaries drawn in NOP 22, due also to the advances in computer technology. The forests of NOP 22 are meant to include areas of forests, hills, and rocky areas that are not fit for cultivation. Based on this principle, the local plans are accurate in differentiating forests and natural woodlands from cultivated land. Full text English Website www.kkl-jnf.org