The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is an academic studies and research institute located in Kibbutz Ketura on the Israeli side of the Arava Valley. Following the understanding that "nature knows no borders", the Arava Institute's mission is to advance cross-border environmental cooperation in the face of political conflict. The Arava Institute was nominated for a 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

Students and academic programs

Students at the Arava Institute live on Kibbutz Ketura while taking classes in sustainable development, water management, environmental law, economic policy, environmental science, and other topics in environmental studies. Classes are taught in English. Members of the faculty are often guest lecturers from universities, both in Israel and abroad, or professionals in fields such as public policy and water management. Students come from around the world to study and conduct research at the Arava Institute. Since its founding in 1996, by Alon Tal, the Arava Institute has hosted over 800 graduate and undergraduate students of various nationalities, including Israeli Jews, Israeli Arab, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Tunisian, Moroccan, European and American students. The Arava Institute has been able to maintain a diverse student body even during very difficult times elsewhere in Israel and the Middle East. AIES students can participate in semester and year-long programs accredited through Ben Gurion University as well as two master's degree graduate programs granted by Ben-Gurion University – one in Environmental Desert Studies and the other a "Green" MBA that teaches environmental sustainability and efficiency as well as business management skills. A three-week summer course is sometimes offered to study biodiversity and environmental challenges in the Arava Valley. The Arava Institute is considering establishing a joint Master's program with Al-Quds University, the only Arab institution of higher learning in Jerusalem. All AIES students are required to completes a non-credit bearing Peace-Building and Environmental Leadership Seminar, which provides them with a facilitated forum for expressing their views on race, religion, identity, and the political situation. This is often considered as a successful environmental peacebuilding practice and can make a small, yet important effect on everyday (or local) peace.

Alumni

Many of the Arava Institute graduates are working in the environmental or peacebuilding field. The institute has created an alumni network to continue supporting alumni by providing personal and professional contacts as well as seed money for alumni projects that demonstrate cross-cultural cooperation. Several alumni of the institute have gone on to work in cross-cultural projects. Others are working in NGOs working on solutions to hygiene and energy in rural and poor areas, working on environmental education and awareness, activists in peace-related activities and more. The Arava Institute has recently added a new network to build more connections between alumni. The Arava Alumni Peace and Environmental Network (AAPEN) brings together alumni from all years of study during an annual conference held in varying locations in the Middle East, as well as an online presence on Facebook, a private online network (NING), updated pages on the Arava website for alumni, a newsletter, and more.

Research centers

In addition to its academic programs, the Arava Institute conducts cross-border studies in four research centers: In addition, the Arava Center for Sustainable Development (ACSD), under the supervision of Dr. Shmuel Brenner, aims to reduce poverty, enhance sustainability and empower communities by supporting locally driven, environmentally focused development programs worldwide. One of those programs is the agricultural development program "Furrows in the Desert" in Turkana, Kenya, which intends to create greater food security to the region by building local capacity in sustainable agriculture.

De-extinction projects

Although the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is not an organization dedicated to de-extinction, the institute is known internationally for the revival, reintroduction, and discovery of plants such as the Judean date palm, an unknown Commiphora, and the frankincense tree from germination of ancient seeds found in excavations. The Judean date palm went extinct in the 1500s, while the frankincense tree was extirpated from Israel over 1500 years ago. The specimen of the unknown Commiphora, "Sheba", has yet to be formally described, but she is believed to be the tsori or Judean balsam, two plants with healing properties referenced in the Bible.