Project Areas

Protection of Nesting activity in Peloponnesus

Koroni

Koroni, a beautiful coastal town of Messinia, is located at the southwestern end of the Messinian Gulf and is about 50 km away from Kalamata. It has about 2,000 inhabitants, most of who are engaged in agriculture, fishing and tourism, while it is estimated that during the summer months its population exceeds the 10,000, since because of its beauty, it is one of the major tourist destinations of Messinia. Koroni is famous for its Venetian castle that looms over the city, its special picturesqueness which is due to not only its unique geographical position, but also its architectural composition and the golden beaches that surround it.

The significance of the Zaga - Memi beach in Koroni (2.7 km long) for the reproduction of the sea-turtle Caretta caretta had been identified since the late 80's. It is a crowded beach that hosts an average of 40 nests every year. Since 1995 ARCHELON conducts each summer a project aiming the record and the protection of the nests. The reproductive activity begins in early June and ends in the middle of September. During this period, especially from 5 June through 15 September, with the participation of volunteers from around the world, ARCHELON conducts the following activities:

• Morning observation, during which reproductive activity is recorded daily.
• Nest protection from human activity and predation by mammals (foxes, dogs etc.), which is done by enclosing and marking the nests and by shading them, where necessary.
• Excavation of nests after the exit of the hatchlings in order to estimate the number of them that left the nest.
• Public awareness by operating a seasonal information station in the city center, by organizing information slide shows in tourist facilities and camping of the area, as well as by conducting beach patrols in order to raise the bathers' awareness

Volunteers can spend their free time having sea baths, attend one of each kind of cultural events that take place daily in Koroni, carefree browse the quaint streets of the city with their special houses and cobblestone streets and of course visit the neighboring beautiful cities in the region (Methoni Finikounda, Pylos, Gialova) where history and ancient monuments meet the rich natural beauty with many protected species of flora and fauna.