 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2017) |
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| Formation | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Weil family |
| Type | NGO, Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | Marine Conservation, Environmentalism |
| Location | |
| Website | www.ecoocean.org |
EcoOcean is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization that was founded in 2002, working to preserve the marine and coastal environments, by promoting marine research, education and community engagement.
EcoOcean was founded by the Weil family and a group of Israeli scientists in 2002. The organization's goal is to promote the preservation of the coastal and marine environment through research, education and broad community activities.
EcoOcean operates the R/V Mediterranean Explorer research vessel and underwater robot (ROV) that enables local and world researchers, who are often subsidized by the organization to expand knowledge, improving the state of the marine and coastal environment. The research vessel is also used in co-operation with research and industrial institutes around the world for scientific expeditions such as TASCMAR [1] and ODYSSEA.
TASCMAR is a research project under the Horizon 2020 [2] Framework Program for Research and Innovation of the European Union. It brings together researchers from leading research and industrial institutions in Europe, Thailand and Israel, and is managed by the National Center for Scientific Research in France (CNRS). The study was designed to examine the efficacy and feasibility of using bioactive chemical compounds derived from marine invertebrates, bacteria and algae in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries to create medicinal and cosmetic products, especially for the treatment of aging-associated ailments and diseases. Most of this study is conducted in deep water, where there is greater potential for locating organisms that have not yet been studied in order to find new sources for the production of natural materials.
Participation in ODYSSEA, which is a project that received funding from the EU's Horizon 2020 Program in June 2017. ODYSSEA is dedicated to developing an “integrated and user-friendly” platform to integrate a network of observatory and forecasting systems across the Mediterranean Basin, both in the open sea and in the coastal region. The data will be extracted from the numerous databases operated by the different agencies, public authorities, research institutions and universities of the European Union, the Mediterranean and non-EU countries, and will serve as a region-wide platform and public portal for existing monitoring and network stations in the Mediterranean. Data gaps will be bridged by the development and operation of nine regional monitoring stations and civil science networks. The ODYSSEA consortium comprises 28 partners, eight academic partners, three technology companies, seven information and computer service developers, six NGOs, two policy specialists and two entities that will engage in the management of this complex project spanning 14 EU and non-EU countries (Greece, Turkey, Israel, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt).
EcoOcean operates the ‘Megalim Center’, an educational center that teaches marine and environmental sciences at Kibbutz Sdot Yam in Israel. The educational programs include: field trips, research studies, seminars, sea/beach activities and annual education program in schools across the country. The organization also host lecturers from the maritime field and produce conferences, exhibitions and beach clean-up campaigns.
EcoOcean is the Israel representative of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), running its global Blue Flag beach program. The Blue Flag is an eco-label awarded to bathing beaches and marinas based on strict criteria that must be met on environmental education, seawater quality, services to the public and environmental management. Other programs operated by EcoOcean on behalf of the FEE include ‘Young Reporters for the Environment’, which promotes involvement of youth in environmental issues through journalistic tools, and the Green Key International program which is an eco-label for the hospitality industry.
Throughout the Mediterranean, shark populations have dwindled by more than 90%, but in recent years an amazing phenomenon has been witnessed along the Israeli coast - dozens of sharks now gather near the power stations and fish cages in the deep sea. Israel is the only country in the Mediterranean where sharks and stingrays are protected by law. It is the case that although fishing of these species is prohibited, illegal fishing does continue. EcoOcean actively engages in and lobbies for better enforcement of the law and other measures to protect both sharks and stingrays. In 2015, EcoOcean published an Action Plan for the protection of sharks and stingrays in the Mediterranean Sea of Israel. [3] The association assists in shark research and engages in efforts to raise awareness of the importance of protecting sharks and stingrays.
Marine debris, also known as marine litter, is human-created waste that has deliberately or accidentally been released in a sea or ocean. Floating oceanic debris tends to accumulate at the center of gyres and on coastlines, frequently washing aground, when it is known as beach litter or tidewrack. Deliberate disposal of wastes at sea is called ocean dumping. Naturally occurring debris, such as driftwood and drift seeds, are also present.
Wildcoast is an international non-profit environmental organization that conserve coastal and marine ecosystem and wildlife.
Project AWARE is a registered nonprofit organization working with volunteer scuba divers. With offices in UK, US, and Australia, Project AWARE supports divers acting in their own communities to protect the ocean, with a focus on implementing lasting change in two core areas: shark conservation and marine litter.
Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), integrated coastal management (ICM), or integrated coastal planning is a coastal management process for the management of the coast using an integrated approach, regarding all aspects of the coastal zone, including geographical and political boundaries, in an attempt to achieve sustainability. This concept was born in 1992 during the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro. The specifics regarding ICZM is set out in the proceedings of the summit within Agenda 21, Chapter 17.
Atlantis Paradise Island is an ocean-themed resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It features a variety of accommodations built around Aquaventure, a 62-hectare (154-acre) waterscape, which includes fresh and saltwater lagoons, pools, marine habitats, water slides, and river rides.
Ocean Conservancy is a nonprofit environmental advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., United States. The organization helps formulate ocean policy at the federal and state government levels based on peer reviewed science.
Marine conservation activism is the efforts of non-governmental organizations and individuals to bring about social and political change in the area of marine conservation. Marine conservation is properly conceived as a set of management strategies for the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Activists raise public awareness and support for conservation, while pushing governments and corporations to practice sound ocean management, create conservation policy, and enforce existing laws and policy through effective regulation. There are many different kinds of organizations and agencies that work toward these common goals. They all are a part of the growing movement that is ocean conservation. These organizations fight for many causes including stopping pollution, overfishing, whaling and by-catching, and supporting marine protected areas.
The Shark Alliance was a global not-for-profit coalition founded in 2006 by Pew Charitable Trusts of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving shark conservation policies.
The Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP), founded in 1989, is a project of Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization with a goal of protecting endangered sea turtles from human-caused threats at nesting beaches and in the ocean.
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, or SPNI, is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival, and is Israel's oldest and largest conservation organization.
EcoPeace Middle East, formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East (?–2014), is a regional environmental peacebuilding organization in the Middle East, bringing together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to create shared solutions for the most water-scarce region on the planet.
Green Fins is an approach to sustainable marine tourism activities operating in South East Asia, Caribbean and the Indian Ocean that works with business operators, communities and governments. It helps to implement environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry through a code of conduct. The overall aim of the initiative is to mitigate damaging impacts to the marine environment from the marine tourism sector and improve sustainability. The code of conduct is a set of 15 points designed to tackle the most common and detrimental effects of SCUBA diving and snorkelling activities on the habitat in which they operate.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fisheries:
Stephen M. Coan is an American environmentalist and educator. He has been president and chief executive officer of Sea Research Foundation since 2006. Based in Mystic, Conn., Sea Research Foundation operates Mystic Aquarium, one of the nation's leading marine mammal research centers with a focus on conservation, education and research. With over 800,000 annual visitors, Mystic Aquarium is the largest cultural attraction in Connecticut and one of the largest in New England. The Aquarium also serves over 100,000 students annually through a suite of education programs including undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate courses, fellowships, and internships, offered in collaboration with University of Connecticut, University of Rhode Island, Mitchell College, Springfield College, and Tufts University. Several undergraduate and graduate programs are funded by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.
Our Seas Our Future (OSOF) is an ENGO group based in Dunedin, New Zealand. OSOF operates as a volunteer driven, non-profit initiative that focuses on coastal and marine conservation advocacy and community engagement projects in New Zealand.
Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC) is a nonprofit organization with a membership of around 500 institutions, NGOs and experts, in 40 countries. Its network at large involves about 2500 professionals involved in coastal and marine management issues. Founded in 1989 with the aim of promoting coastal management by bridging the gap between scientists, environmentalists, site managers, planners and policy makers, it has grown into the largest network of coastal practitioners and experts in Europe, with 13 National Branches, an International Secretariat in Leiden, and offices in Barcelona (Spain), Biarritz (France), Warnemünde (Germany), Szczecin (Poland), Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Sliema (Malta). EUCC's working area is Europe and its neighbouring regions, especially the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
The Swiss Cetacean Society is a Swiss nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of marine mammals in their natural habitat. Founded in 1997, its headquarters are in Lausanne in Switzerland.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center, located in Loggerhead Park, Juno Beach, Florida, is a sea turtle research, rehabilitation, education and conservation center. The center also manages the Juno Beach fishing pier, across the street from the park. Established in 1983, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center seeks to promote conservation of ocean ecosystems with a special focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. Its facilities include a sea turtle hospital, a research laboratory, and exhibit areas including live sea turtles and other coastal creatures.
Beach cleaning or clean-up is the process of removing solid litter, dense chemicals, and organic debris deposited on a beach or coastline by the tide, local visitors, or tourists. Humans pollute beaches with materials such as plastic bottles and bags, plastic straws, fishing gear, cigarette filters, Six pack rings, Surgical mask and many other items that often lead to environmental degradation. Every year hundreds of thousands of volunteers comb beaches and coastlines around the world to clean this debris. These materials are also called “marine debris” or "marine pollution" and their quantity has been increasing due to anthropocentric activities.
Anna R. Oposa is a marine conservationist and co-founder of NGO Save Philippine Seas (SPS), an organization that aims to protect coastal and marine environments through education and community-based projects. She helped create the first shark sanctuary in the Philippines and helped designate the thresher shark as a nationally protected species. Oposa aims to combat what she believes are the biggest barriers to marine conservation: lack of coordination between local interest groups and a lack of public education around marine issues.