"There’s something grounding about plants that keep growing no matter what happens around us. If they can do it, so can we."
This sentiment is what led PhD student Gal Raviv down an unlikely path: from her own research in cancer therapy to creating an endangered plant garden at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
After attending a lecture on plant conservation at a conference organized by Prof. Tamir Klein, Raviv approached Klein with the idea. Klein was thrilled by her passion for the project, and in the summer of 2023, they set up the garden with full backing from Weizmann’s Institute for Environmental Sustainability.
Of some 2,300 wild plants found in Israel, more than 400 are in danger of extinction. And with the threat of habitat loss especially acute along the Mediterranean coast, Israel’s coastal plant life is particularly threatened.
Thankfully for Raviv and Klein, however, the weather on Weizmann’s campus is similar to that of the coast. And now in its second year, the sanctuary garden holds some 20 endangered plants, a number of which are unique to Israel’s coastal plain.
Several of the sanctuary’s plants have also recently found an additional home outside the greenhouse, in Weizmann’s Clore Garden of Science.
These plants will form an environmental educational program that Klein and Raviv are developing with the Davidson Institute of Science Education.
“While our first goal in creating a sanctuary garden is conservation, our second goal is this: to raise awareness not only at Weizmann but around us, and to spread the enthusiasm for saving plants from extinction,” Raviv says.
Returning endangered plants to nature is yet a third goal of the sanctuary project, with their seeds being collected for future sowing outdoors. As they work to replant these species, the researchers strive to restore the local ecosystem to its original balance as closely as possible. “These plants were here long before us,” says Klein. “And now they are on the verge of disappearing. Let’s give them some space to keep them from getting crowded out of existence.”