Planning Challenges and Opportunities in the Conservation of National Trails: The Case of the Israel National Trail

Noa Ravinsky Raichel () and Havatzelet Yahel ()
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Noa Ravinsky Raichel: The Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker Campus 8499000, Israel
Havatzelet Yahel: The Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boker Campus 8499000, Israel

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: This study examines the planning challenges and opportunities in conserving national trails, focusing on the Israel National Trail. National trails offer crucial benefits, including health promotion, social connectivity, cultural education, ecological conservation, and economic growth. Despite their value, these trails face sustainability challenges from environmental impacts, resource constraints, and competing interests, often exacerbated by weak statutory protections. Using a case study approach, this study analyzes three decades of case law and planning committee decisions, uncovering real-life conflicts and challenges in trail conservation. This study uncovers issues like difficulties in preserving the trail’s national identity, risks of route diversions, failure to realize ecological and economic potential, and inefficiencies in planning due to a lack of statutory footing. This study contributes to the emerging field of national trail research by proposing a retrospective methodology for identifying sustainability challenges based on practical realities and by emphasizing the need for comprehensive and transparent planning to ensure the sustainable future of national trails. Legal case studies prove to be a valuable tool for identifying conservation challenges and a significant database for developing a sustainable planning strategy. This methodology serves as a useful and globally relevant tool.

Keywords: land use; sustainability; national trails; spatial planning; regularization; open space; culture and leisure; conservation and development; ecological corridors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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