WILL THE BIOGEOGRAPHICAL BRIDGE CONTINUE TO EXIST?

ABSTRACT

Israel is a meeting point between three continents, two seas, and several climatic regions. The central part is a transition area where peripheral populations from the north, south, and east meet. Five different ecological bridges—the sea, the air, the coastal plain, and the mountain ridge, as well as the Arava and Jordan Valleys—cross this meeting point from north to south. Development of housing, tourism, road construction, afforestation, industry, and agriculture, and further development programs threaten the existence of the land bridges. In consequence, the special biogeographical position of Israel as a meeting point and the associated high biodiversity may be seriously damaged. Efforts to protect Israel's biodiversity are discussed, along with the actual prospects to preserve it.