This Earth Day, Healthy Seas announces launch of activities in the Red Sea

This Earth Day (April 22nd), we are proud to announce we are expanding our geographic focus and launching activities in the Red Sea, together with Ghost Diving Egypt. This means we will now be operating in 3 continents!

The theme of this year’s Earth Day is ‘Together, we can Restore Our Earth’ and we are ecstatic to be able to turn these words into action and fulfill our conservation objectives. We began our marine conservation work in 2013 in the Netherlands and have since expanded our operations to 7 countries in Europe, New Zealand and now Africa!

Due to its unique geological formation, the Red Sea is a biodiversity hotspot. Its extensive reef system is home to some 1500 species of coral and fish with an estimated 20% endemic to the region, meaning they are only found in the Red Sea. These coral reefs are some of the most productive on the planet; but perhaps most impressive is their resiliency to rising ocean temperatures.

In the Northern Red Sea – in particular the Gulf of Aqaba – no mass bleaching events have occurred and these corals are considered a refuge from climate change and ocean acidification. More research is needed to understand why these corals have yet to be impacted by warming waters but scientists believe the Red Sea’s reefs hold the key to saving reef systems in other parts of the world that are unable to adapt to rising ocean temperatures.

This is why it’s imperative to preserve these corals and protect them from other significant threats such as wastewater runoff, coastal development, plastic pollution and destructive fishing practices. Detailed data collected over the past year from frequent underwater cleanups in Dahab, a coastal town lying on the Gulf of Aqaba, shows us the largest sources of marine litter in the region are cigarette filters, single-use plastics, and cloth fabrics.

When it comes to ghost fishing gear, nets and lines are the most common found in Dahab’s waters and are problematic for marine species as they can become entangled and trapped, limiting their chances for survival.