Conferences and conference sessions
The Annual Conference of the Israeli Forum for Environmental History
The Human-Society-Environment Laboratory, in collaboration with the Forum for Environmental History and the School of Climate Change, organized the annual conference of the Israeli Association for Environmental History on November 30, 2025. Attended by 40 researchers from Israel, Germany, and Ethiopia, the event featured an international session and a tour of the city of Be'er Sheva; it served as a satellite event to the large-scale, biennial International Conference on Drylands (DDD) hosted by the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR). Discussions at the conference addressed environmental impacts on rural and urban spaces in Israel, physical and biological conservation within Zionist thought and practice, hiking trails, and global perspectives on environmental history in Greenland, China, and Central Africa.
Session at the International Desertification Conference
The laboratory organized a session at the International Desertification Conference (DDD) on December 2, 2025. The session addressed human-desert relationships in nomadic societies, planning and leisure among Bedouin communities in Israel, and perceptions of space and heritage among Bedouin populations in the United Arab Emirates.
Session at the Annual Conference of the Israeli Geographical Association
The laboratory organized a session on walking trails at the Israeli Geographical Association’s annual conference on December 21, 2025. The session featured four presentations (by Dr. Eherlich, Adv. Reichel, Prof. Yahal, and Dr. Galilee), as well as two talks by laboratory members regarding planning and preservation in Be'er Sheva (Dr. Messika) and public gardens in the early days of Tel Aviv (Dr. Shachori).
Academic collaborations
Adoption of Solar Panels Among the Bedouin Population in the Negev – An Interdisciplinary Study Funded by the ISF
Now entering its third year, this research is a collaboration between the laboratory (Yahel and Galilee) and Prof. Tal Svoray from the Department of Geography at Ben-Gurion University and Prof. Itay Fischhendler from the Department of Geography at the Hebrew University. The study focuses on the integration of renewable energy among marginalized, off-grid populations. It combines methodologies and theoretical approaches from several disciplines, incorporating surveys, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and machine learning. Additional participants include a doctoral student from the Department of Geography (under joint supervision) and a master's student from the Ben-Gurion Institute (Shai Kessel). The first paper resulting from this research is scheduled for publication in the coming months in the journal *Renewable Energy*.
Interdisciplinary research funded by the School of Sustainability – Carnivore attacks at campsites: turning human-carnivore conflict into co-existence.
This study, now entering its second year, is a collaboration between the laboratory and Prof. Oded Berger-Tal (Department of Ecology, Ben-Gurion University), Prof. Ofer Hadar (Department of Software Engineering, Ben-Gurion University), and Dr. Shimrit Maman (Head of the Israeli Space Agency and Head of the Remote Sensing Laboratory at the Department of Geography, Ben-Gurion University). The research examines the interactions between visitors at overnight campsites in the Ramon Crater and local wildlife. It aims to investigate the mutual impact of the visitors and the wildlife on one another using questionnaires, motion sensors, and machine learning.
Interdisciplinary research funded by the School of Sustainability – Exploration of Infectious Disease Risks Among Transitional Former-Nomadic Families: A Social, Ecological, and Epidemiological Perspective
Now entering its second year, this research is a collaborative effort involving the laboratory, Prof. Hadas Hawlena (Department of Ecology), and Prof. Jacob Moran-Gilad (Department of Public Health). The study examines social, ecological, and public health aspects associated with sheep pens in the city of Rahat—specifically their social, environmental, and health impacts—with a focus on the rat infestations that accompany the presence of sheep herds within a modern urban setting.
A proposal for a follow-up study on this topic has recently been submitted in collaboration with Clalit Health Services:
Exploration of health risks among populations transitioning from nomadic to urban life:
Social, ecological, and epidemiological insights from Bedouin families in Rahat
Establishment of a new Center for Climate Science and Cultural Heritage (CSCH)
The laboratory is collaborating with Prof. Ariel Kushmaro to establish a new university center dedicated to researching the impact of climate change on cultural heritage sites. While this field attracts significant global interest, it has not yet been studied in depth in Israel. The center will advance the mapping of cultural heritage sites in Israel and examine the conservation processes and climate-related risks that must be addressed to preserve these sites. Research activities will link policy, legal, and environmental issues concerning heritage resources within the landscape.
