Marine Life & Conservation
Reef-World Foundation and CDWS call for protection of Egypt’s coral reefs
Following the recent announcement of UK flight restrictions to Sharm el Sheikh being lifted, and the subsequent rush of operators to resume selling holidays to the region, The Reef-World Foundation and Chamber of Diving & Watersports (CDWS) are calling for tourists and operators to remember the actions they can take to protect the country’s precious coral reefs.
With UK flights to Sharm el Sheikh restarting, business from the UK to Egypt, which increased by 30% between 2017 and 2018, is now expected to rise even further. As a result of this expected influx of tourism to the region, Reef-World – the international coordinator of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative – and CDWS – which implements the initiative in Egypt – are urging people to remember the importance of protecting the reefs they visit.
Chloe Harvey, Director at The Reef-World Foundation, said: “We’re proud to be working alongside CDWS helping protect Red Sea coral reefs through Green Fins – but we can’t do it alone. Everyone has a part to play, which is why we’re asking tourists to reduce their negative impact on coral reefs by following a few simple guidelines, as outlined by the Green Fins Code of Conduct. Reducing diving and snorkelling-related damage to coral reefs helps make them more resilient to other stressors such as those associated with climate change. If we all make an effort to act as a responsible tourist, we can protect Egypt’s beautiful coral reefs for many years to come.”
The Green Fins guidelines recommend that divers and snorkellers:
- Don’t step on coral: Divers and snorkellers can easily break coral with their feet or fins. This can cause injury and kill coral reefs
- Don’t touch or chase marine life: This can lead to stressed and scared animals that will swim away, leaving nothing for guests to see. Sharks species, in particular, should be left alone as our presence can influence and disrupt their natural behavior
- Don’t stir the sediment: Careless divers and swimmers who stir up the sand can cause damage and spread disease on reefs
- Do not buy souvenirs of shell, coral or other marine life: This encourages people to take marine life from the ocean, removing the beautiful creatures people have travelled so far to see
- Do not take marine life – dead or alive: Removing species that would normally break down and be recycled into the sea leaves other animals without nutrients and elements they need for growth. Even empty shells on the beach play an important role in the wider ecosystem. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles.
- Don’t litter: Throwing trash in the ocean kills marine life, poisons seafood and can cause injury – minimise your use of single-use plastics and recycle or dispose of your litter properly. You can also pick up any litter you see in the ocean or on the beach
- Don’t wear gloves: Gloves can encourage tourists to touch things underwater, which could cause fatal injury and damage marine life. In Egypt, the use of gloves is not permitted
- Don’t feed the fish: This can make fish sick or aggressive, especially with sharks, causing them to attack and injure humans. Fed fish are also more likely to leave their nests empty and vulnerable to predators
- Dispose of litter responsibly: Throwing trash in the ocean kills marine life, poisons seafood and can injure tourists. Encourage recycling and proper disposal
- Wear reef-safe sunscreen: Some chemical components in sunscreen – including Oxybenzone and Octinoxate – may have a negative impact on coral reefs. Help protect coral from harmful chemicals by using alternatives which are reef-safe and covering up with clothing when in strong sunshine.
- Report environmental violations: If you see any destructive practices or violations of environmental laws, tell your dive guide, dive operator or government officials. By informing key authorities, you are being part of the solution as your actions can lead to appropriate action.
- Participate in conservation projects: By taking part in conservation projects, you can have a positive effect on the environment and help educate others.
The Green Fins initiative aims to protect coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote sustainable diving and snorkelling. The only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry, it has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.
Green Fins was piloted in South Sinai Governorate in September and will be expanded to be available to all dive and snorkel operators nationwide by March 2020. Egyptian marine tourism operators who sign up to the programme are playing their part in protecting coral reefs from the negative impacts associated with diving and snorkelling. The CDWS is rallying more dive centres to join the Green Fins initiative to help improve their sustainability and prove they are following environmental best practice as a way of attracting eco-minded tourists. Interested operators in the region can sign up by contacting the Green Fins Team at CDWS by emailing egypt@greenfins.net.
Hesham Gabr, Chair of the Chamber of Diving & Watersports, said: “We are lucky to be the custodians of a naturally rich and beautiful environment. It is so important that we protect and preserve the Red Sea’s exquisite marine life for future generations. As such, we’re appealing to Egyptian dive and snorkel operators to learn how to improve their environmental best practices and reduce their negative impact on coral reefs by signing up to Green Fins.”
The Reef-World Foundation leads the global implementation of the UN Environment’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices globally.
Dive and snorkel operators interested in signing up to Green Fins can find the membership application form at: www.greenfins.net/how-to-join.
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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