Tag: coral reef

"The sea urchins are the reef's 'gardeners' – they feed on the algae and prevent them from taking over and suffocating the corals that compete with them for sunlight." The problem: they no longer exist in the Gulf of Eilat.

An agreement penned a year ago has encountered growing opposition from environmentalist groups and Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The Eilat Coral Nature Reserve is the northernmost shallow water coral reef in the world.

The move follows a similar ban in Hawaii that was enacted in an effort to save its own coral reefs, also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Critics say the line may endanger coral reefs off the southern coast in the Gulf of Aqaba near Eilat.