Dead Sea

Israel, Jordan, Palestine

The Dead Sea is located 417 m below sea level, its shores are the lowestlying natural spot of the world. Algae and bacteria occurring some estuardies aside, the Dead Sea is biologically dead, its salt content is ten times that of sea water. Its "oversalinity" is attributable to the salt-laden in-flow rivers, to the absence of an out-flow, and to the huge amounts of water evaporating under fiery sun.

Oases and marsh land surrounding the Dead Sea, the temporarily water carrying brooks and the near mountains have a rich bio-diversity - leopard, ibex, griffon vulture live here. White and Black Stork overfly the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea Basin to or from their winter quarters.

The Dead Sea is extremely threatened: Due to excessive water withdrawal of the people living in the western part of the lake, the Dead Sea's in-flow decreased from 1.2 billion of cubic meters in 1900, 810 million of cubic meters in 1960, to 125,000 cubic meters in 1985. The main problem, however, is the withdrawal of the Jordan, the Dead Sea's biggest in-flow river. Farmers use Jordan water to irrigate their fields and fruit plantations, the city dwellers as drinking and industrial water.

At the south end ot the lake two big factories produce 1.8 million tons of potash p.a.. Additionally, 50,000 tons of salt, 25,000 tons of magnesium and 180,000 tons of bromine are extracted. The production respectively extraction of these substances needs a a large amount of energy, fresh water and sea water, and destroys the natural environment. Due to these activities, the Dead Sea's water dropped by 25 m over the past 30 years. The length of the shoreline shortened by 20 km.

The development of "smooth" tourism offers good chances for the future. In 1999, more than half a million of tourists came to visit the Dead Sea, twice as much as in the past three years, to benefit trom the sea's minerals and enjoy the places of cultural interest. But more tourists mean also a higher water consumption.

Our partner organisation Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) was founded in 1994 by nature conservationists from Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt, and is supported by about 200 conservation groups. FoEME is striving for a "red line", that means special measures are to be taken in case the level drops below a previously defined mark.

In September 2008, Gidon Bromberg, Nader Al-Khateeb and Munqeth Mehyar, the three executive directors of FoEME, were nominated as "Hereos of the Environment" by the TIME Magazine.

May 2010

Good news from FoEME about the current activities.

More information ...

October 2008 - October 2010

Jordan River Rehabilitaion Project

Further information about the project, iis background and aims you find under the separate project page.

More information about Dead Sea

Detailed Data

Contact

"Gardens for Peace" - an Ecological Project at the Dead Sea

Threatened Lake of the Year 2006

Conference Proceedings "Dead Sea between Life And Death"