The Dead Sea’s northern desert is one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth — home to rare and extraordinary desert wildlife found nowhere else.

But a new development plan by the Megilot Regional Council aims to “revive the desert” — a vision that could endanger the fragile ecological balance of this ancient landscape.

In response, researchers and members of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel have launched a mission to document and defend the area’s biodiversity, hoping to preserve it before it’s too late.