Sand dunes (Maltese: għaram tar-ramel) are dynamic systems that form by the slow build-up of sand as a result of natural wave action and wind.

Sand is deposited and trapped upon encountering clumps of vegetation or some other form of obstacle. Sandy beaches are backed by dune systems, which provide an essential role in the stability, as well as defence, of coastal communities.

Dune vegetation is adapted to the harsh conditions present in this habitat, which include extensive root systems, fleshy leaves, and short white hairs. Vegetation type changes across the dune system with distance from the beach. Maltese dunes in the present day may be described according to the following zonation pattern. The most seaward zone is called the embryo dune, where perennial plants are first encountered. Behind the embryo dune lies the mobile dune, which is characterised by a low dune that is sparsely vegetated by plants such as the Sea Holly (scientific: eryngium maritimum; Maltese: xewk ir-ramel). This is followed by the semi-consolidated dune; and then by the fixed dune, which is vegetated with a dense thicket of salt-tolerant shrubs.

Maltese sand dunes also have characteristic invertebrate fauna namely roundworms, segmented worms, several insects, shrimp-like crustaceans and isopods. Over the years, many sand dunes have been lost and nowadays this habitat type is extremely restricted in the Maltese islands. Presently there are only few that still persist and are amongst the rarest and most threatened of local ecosystems.

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