Mount Carmel National Park

Mount Carmel National Park (Hebrew: פארק הכרמל, Park HaKarmel) is Israel's largest national park, extending over most of the Carmel mountain range, and containing over 10,000 hectares of pine, eucalyptus, and cypress forest. The park has numerous bicycle and walking paths, dedicated nature reserves, and over 250 archaeological sites inhabited by prehistoric humans.

The park is one of the largest open spaces of northern Israel. It is a typical example of a Mediterranean ecosystem, and includes a rich inventory of geological phenomena, prehistoric artifacts, biodiversity and landscapes. In 1996 it was recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

Mount Carmel has been home to human habitation since the prehistoric era, and the remains of ancient settlement have been uncovered in caves in the hillsides. For most of its long history, however, it remained sparsely populated and contained few towns.

At the end of the 15th century and in the first half of the 16th century Druze began to emigrate from Lebanon, settling in the Carmel and leaving their mark on the landscape. They appropriated land for agricultural purposes and cut down trees for firewood. This logging grew considerably during the Ottoman period of rule in Israel.

Under British Mandate rule, the practice of logging was stopped completely. The surrounding areas of Nahal Kelah and Nahal Galim were declared nature reserves and British authorities placed forest guards in the area. The guards lived in stone buildings in the park, and wandered the area mounded on donkeys and mules in order to drive away loggers. The British even paved a number of paths for their convenience.

In 1927, Arthur Ruppin turned to Colonel E. R. Sawer, director of the Department of Agriculture, Forests, and Fisheries, and suggested that he declare the entire area of the Carmel a 'protected natural park'. This appeal was made as part of the activities of the Israel Land Development Company. His proposal included the following:

Sawer accepted Ruppin's ideas, suggesting the Nahal Lotem area on the western slopes of the Carmel, and conditioned the implementation of the program only on government and not private land so as not to have to compensate landowners for private areas. The project was designed by Richard Kaufman who suggested instead the large areas south of Haifa. In the end, however, Ruffin's original idea was not realized due to budgetary reasons.

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