SPNI has four primary focus areas of work:

Environmental Protection
The watchdog and advocate for the little remaining open space left in Israel. To this end, SPNI monitors development plans brought before planning commissioners, provides data and alternative plans to decision makers, and raises public awareness.
The Environmental Protection areas include:

• Lake Kinneret
• Mediterranean Coast
• Transportation / Air Pollution
• Park Ayalon
• Jerusalem Hills
• Open Landscapes Institute (OLI)
• Israel Trails

Education
Israel's environmental future depends on educating children and adults to respect and love the unique and historical land that is Israel. Over 40% of Israeli children are involved in SPNI education programs, such as school field trips, after-school classes, orienteering (i.e., Scouts) programs, and summer camps.
SPNI's educational programs include:

• Orienteering
• Multicultural Education
• Friends by Nature

Urban Centers
SPNI urban centers in Beer-Sheva, Haifa, Jerusalem, Modi'in, and Tel-Aviv educate and increase environmental awareness among children and adults, motivate residents to take part in local planning processes, and promote environmental issues among decision-makers in their communities.

SPNI also created Urban Field Study Centers (Malashim) which currently serve 11 development towns with limited social services, whose populations face difficulties such as unemployment and poverty.
These centers have become a vital part of local educational and extra-curricular programming.

Birding
Israel’s unique geographical location linking three continents represents a critical intersection for 500 million migrating birds. SPNI, through its’ Israel Ornithological Center (IOC), leads Israel’s partnership in the world of wildlife preservation and protection of bird species threatened by urbanization and economic development.
SPNI's birding center include:

• Israel Ornithology Center
• Jerusalem Bird Observatory