the southern community

The southern community of the people of the Mediterranean Sea is a community of sea lovers, who work to promote the preservation of natural values in the maritime area between Ashdod and Zikim, and to promote the expansion of the Yam-Afath nature reserve.

 

The Mediterranean people is a network of communities, and the southern community is the southernmost community among them. These days, the community has over 100 members, who work with the help of the Delphis association - for the marine mammals in Israel. We invite you, sea lovers, who want to keep the sea and its beaches healthy, clean and rich in nature, to join us, the southern community, in working for the sea in our region.

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What can you do as community members? You will undergo kashrut, go on joint tours, increase your knowledge and work in different channels for our sea and its marine reserves. Active membership in the community includes personal action and a spirit of volunteering, for at least three hours of activity per month.

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Welcome to joinThe Facebook group our.

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Ataf Marine Nature Reserve

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The marine reserve, between Ashdod and Ashkelon, is a continuous continuation of the Holot Nitzanim reserve, and the declared shallow reserve of Yam-Etaf (today it extends to a distance of only 300 meters from the shore, in very shallow water).

The reserve includes a beach (mostly sandy) where a variety of species of sandy habitat have been preserved. The beach is also a main nesting site for two species of sea turtles: the common green sea turtle and the common brown sea turtle, which visit the waters of the reserve every summer for mating, and the shores of the reserve to lay their eggs.

The marine reserve has secured great importance in maintaining a representative sample of the biological diversity in the region, and especially in protecting the common dolphin, which is defined as endangered in the Mediterranean Sea, and critical sites for the reproduction and growth of animal species, such as nurseries for fry near the coast. The proposed reserve should extend in the future from the coastline to the border of Israel's sovereign waters in the west. This area represents the marine habitat typical of Israeli waters - the habitat of the soft bottom.