Ashdod Sand Dune 2.6

Ashdod Nitzanim Sand Dune Park is a psammosere ecosystem located close to the city of Ashdod on the Israeli Coastal Plain near the Mediterranean sea. It is located south of Tel Aviv and represents the landscape on which most of modern-day Israel was constructed on by pioneers following various Aliyah's and the Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.BackgroundUntil a number of decades ago, sand dunes dominated the coast of Israel with 462 square kilometers of sand dunes of which over three-quarters were south of Tel Aviv. Over the last few decades the dunes have made way for cities, industrial areas and power plants, and the dune landscape has gradually disappeared. Thus, one of the most characteristic and important aspects of the Israeli landscape is rapidly vanishing.The largest remnant of Israel's coastal sand dunes is located between Ashdod and Ashkelon. This is the only part of the landscape that still retains its shifting sands with its attendant animal and plant life and marks of bygone civilizations.The importance of the area derives from its natural and cultural qualities. The dunes contain ecological systems of scientific value. Their function as an open area separating the urban sectors that are rapidly covering the country is of great significance, as is its role as a natural public recreation.