Negev tortoise Negev tortoise The Negev tortoise ("Testudo werneri") is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the Negev Desert in southern Israel. "T. werneri" has been considered to be a subspecies or synonym of Kleinmann's tortoise ("T. kleinmanni" ). Males of "T. werneri" may reach a straight carapace length of . Females grow to be larger, attaining a straight carapace length of (Perälä 2001). "T. werneri" was once found in the Sinai Peninsula but has gone regionally extinct due to loss of habitat. In Israel it is protected by law and several conservation programs, and
Bill on the Arrangement of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev better integration of Bedouin in Israeli society, and significantly reduce the economic and social gaps between the Bedouin population in the Negev and Israeli society. By contrast, Jewish families have been encouraged to settle in this part of the country to make the desert bloom and small, gated farming communities – fully serviced with water and electricity – have sprung up close to the Bedouin villages. The government claims that the bill will expand Bedouin communities, some unrecognized communities will be recognized and receive public services, and infrastructure will be renewed, all within the framework of the Beer Sheva District