An investigation is underway to determine the deaths of dozens of sea turtles that washed up on Egypt’s Mediterranean shore last week. Initial forays prompted suspicion that the turtles had eaten deliberately poisoned fish in Lake Bardawil, but conclusive results have not yet been published. Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Mostafa Hussein Kamel established […]
It is illegal to catch sharks from the beginning of January to the end of April in the United Arab Emirates and yet thousands of them are landed during that time. Speaking to a delegation of international conservationists at the four day Shark Conservation Arabia workshop in Dubai, marine biologist Rima Jabado explained that during visits […]
Hayrettin Karaca, 90, faces up to six years in prison for championing the environmental causes to which he has devoted his life. Turkey is not a country where environmental awareness is terribly high. But one man has done more to solve this problem, as well as the forces that threaten Turkey’s natural habitats, than almost […]
The seventh oil spill in the Red Sea since September, 2011 has gone virtually unnoticed. The most recent spill in Gamsha Bay, which has been attributed to General Petroleum Company, has received no additional press coverage after it was reported last week in Egypt Independent. Both an onshore and offshore leak, it is particularly hazardous as […]
Conservationists in Egypt are worried about the environmental impact of large-scale solar projects in the desert It seems renewables are taking a little bit of a bashing at the moment. First research emerges that wind turbines may be contributing to a temperature rise in the area, and now environmental campaigners in Egypt are calling for […]
Who would have thought that Iraqis and Kurds could start a green music and art event? Two non-profits, Nature Iraq and Development Now are holding the first Green Music and Arts Festival in Iraq tomorrow to honor Earth Day the day after. To be held in Sulaimani’s Azadi Park in Sulaimani, it will be the […]
It’s not a stretch. Vanishing shark populations affect the food chain in a very concrete way. Karin’s post on shark meat’s high mercury levels made it clear: a bowl of shark fin soup is a bowlful of poison. But a slower death awaits people who depend on healthy seas. That means all of us. Because […]
An ingenious technology installed in 20 countries around the world has enormous potential not only to regenerate ailing coral reefs but improve their resilience as well! Coral reefs throughout the world are in dire straits, which bodes badly for the world’s marine ecosystems. But a proven technology that has been floating around for two decades […]
Half of the wild camels near Abu Dhabi are choking on plastic and dying When the grownups give up on protecting the earth and its numerous creatures, the youth are left to pick up the baton. Cameron Oliver was just 11 years old when he first learned about the plight of camels living in the […]
The Upper Tigris River in Iraq could get a new lease on life as an Iraqi conservation group receives support to study its numerous environmental threats. Western governments are much more interested in Iraq’s post-conflict “democracy building” than environmental issues, according to the folks over at Nature Iraq, who are well known for their combat zone […]
We’ve seen naked people bare all for the Dead Sea, and a pledge by the Israel Chemicals Corp to pay billions in damage to save the hotels there. But this is not enough: The Dead Sea is dying and governments aren’t doing anything to protect it for future generations. In response, today November 21, Friends […]
Authorities in Jordan are stepping up the monitoring of forests to stop illegal logging over the winter months The onset of winter can only mean one thing- the weather is going to get colder and in Jordan, that means a rise in illegal logging. According to the government, illegal logging for heating purposes and for […]
Akko in Israel is just one important World Heritage Site in the Middle East region that could suffer from the United States’ decision to withhold funding to UNESCO following the admittance of Palestine as a member state. Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that the United States will “refrain from making contributions to UNESCO […]
Catch up on the green stories from Middle East you may have missed this week It’s certainly been a busy week of green news and our team of Green Prophet reporters have been working hard to get the latest to you. From Lebanon’s embrace of the car to the continuing water problems for Egypt’s Nile, […]
Çağan Şekercioğlu founded ecological research and conservation NGO KuzeyDoğa in 2007 to promote biodiversity and resist environmental degradation in Turkey’s fast-developing eastern region. As thermal power plants and hydroelectric dams pop up more and more across Turkey’s landscape, the effects of these developments on the natural environment go largely unseen. Especially in Turkey’s rural, lightly […]