Bnei Zion nature reserve, nature reserve in Israel

Bnei Zion nature reserve covers 108 dunams on the second kurkar ridge, rising about 40 m above sea level west of Moshav Bnei Zion. Its low batha and garigue scrub grows on hamra and husmas soils. A single marked path about 400 m long crosses the northern part.

The reserve was declared on 21 March 1968 and covers 108 dunams on the second kurkar ridge, rising to 40 m above sea level. In 2002 most of its area burned and it has since largely recovered. In 2015 it was closed to allow the soil, worn by walkers, cyclists and horses, to recover.

The reserve is also called Shemurat Rekhes Harutsim, after the kurkar ridge it protects beside Moshav Bnei Zion and Kibbutz Harutsim. A single marked path about 400 metres long crosses the northern part, a walk of roughly an hour suited to families. The reserve can be viewed from the western edge of Moshav Bnei Zion and from Mitzpe Ido in Harutsim, a lookout built in memory of Ido Shani, killed in the fighting of 7 October.

The reserve is easily accessible from nearby towns and has no shops or cafes on site, so visitors should bring water and snacks. Comfortable shoes are important, especially during warm months, and the marked trails make navigation straightforward.

The reserve protects part of the second kurkar ridge, where low batha and garigue shrubs grow on hamra and husmas soils rather than on iron-rich ground. After a fire burned most of the area in 2002 it was largely rehabilitated, and in 2015 it was closed again so the soil, compacted by walkers, cyclists and horses, could recover.