A new edition of Israel’s Red Book of Reptiles, released on Monday, revealed an alarming decline in the country’s reptile populations over the past two decades.
The book, launched by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in collaboration with Tel Aviv University and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, catalogs 92 species, including snakes, lizards, freshwater and land turtles, and sea turtles that nest along Israel’s coasts.
The findings are stark. Many species that were already at risk in 2002 are now in worse condition, with several, such as the Hermon viper, Beersheba lizard, and lowland snake, classified as critically endangered. Others have seen their risk levels drop by two or three categories, reflecting shrinking populations and increasing threats.
“This is a critical moment for Israel’s reptiles, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth,” said Ben Schermeister, a doctoral student at Tel Aviv University who led the book’s renewal. “The Red Book allows us to understand which species are in urgent need of protection and what conservation efforts are most effective.”