The coastal zone of the Red Sea is an ecologically unique marine system of outstanding regional environmental and economic importance. The Gulf of Eilat (Gulf of Aqaba) is the world's northernmost tropical sea ecosystem. Its oxygen-rich water is warm year-round, supporting wide verity different organisms including corals and fish.
The national Red Sea monitoring programs: Due to the severe deterioration of the coral reefs in the northern tip of the Gulf of Eilat, a national monitoring program for these Red Sea reefs has been established. Concerned by the potential loss of this unique marine ecosystem, and by possible implications to the tourism economies of Eilat, scientists are continuously monitoring the water quality and biological process in the gulf, in order to create a long-term scientific database as a base for the sustainable management of the gulf.
Restoring Eilat’s Coral Reefs: The future of reef communities rests on the abilities of the reefs to respond adequately to increasing climate changes and growing pressure by human activities. Israeli scientists are rigorously working on a new method for reef restoration using mid-water coral nurseries as a source for new coral colonies. These active restoration instruments complement current management tools and effectively cope with reef degradation by actually “gardening coral reefs”.