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Society for Conservation of the Red Sea Environment (NGO)

 Fighting for our home environment

Our society was established twenty three years ago as an association of Eilat residents who witnessed,  with concern, the ongoing deterioration of the local coastal environment. The society’s present mission is to safeguard the Gulf of Eilat (= Aqaba) and its surrounding desert landscapes; to promote and increase public awareness; to negotiate with public agencies towards the preservation of the natural assets of the Gulf; to curb uncontrolled development, coastal construction and unsustainable sea and desert tourist development , so as to avoid compromising the region’s valuable natural resources.. Ever since its establishment, the society has been involved – abreast with public and government organizations – with several  successful public campaigns, including the: # Establishment of a monitoring station for the prevention of marine pollution from ships and boats # Termination of urban sewage pollution spills and billowing clouds of port loading dock phosphate dust # Support of a public campaign against fish farming in the sea and its transfer into land installations # Stopping pollution and oil waste from the local yacht marina # Establishment of a Regional Environmental Unit for Ecology and Environment # Establishment of a grassroots youth movement – "Youth Guardians of the Bay " # Authoring and disseminating education material to support environmental education # Implementation underwater clean-up campaigns along Eilat’s entire coastline

The society was awarded the 2006 Ford Foundation Award for Environmental Activities

Slowly but surely , the number of volunteers, for some reason, is declining, possibly due to the misconception that “everything is fine”. At present, only a handful of die-hard volunteers, albeit not sufficient to fulfill the tasks we face with the increasing development pressure on the one hand, and the deterioration of the natural environment on the other, have remained to carry the heavy burden of ”bearing the torch”.

It is time to regroup and come back, both in terms of public awareness and concrete action. The struggle has not ended!  A large number of stressed environmental land and seascapes are under seige, threatened by development which is reducing the quality of our surroundings, and ultimately, the quality of life: • Beach Pollution  – trash on the coast and garbage in the shallows, below the water line. • Coastal areas impounded for private and port installations, excluding bathers and divers • Abuse of non-biodegradable plastic bags, which endanger the lives of wild animals.. •  Fighting  enterpreneurs and developers that endanger the well being of  the unique sand dunes “Samar Dunes”. •  On the other hand – Promotion of environmentally attractions like the erection of artificial reefs, underwater sculpture gardens

These activities require constant monitoring and continuous awareness  to prevent environmental damage. Volunteers are invited to join our ranks and become a member. You can choose the type of activity you wish to take part in: individual activities and public support, monitoring pollution and environmental issues, beach clean-ups and UW garbage clearing, initiate educational activities, legal assistance to mobilize public opinion etc.