The protection of the loggerhead sea turtle nesting in Thines Kyparissias in 2021
Thines Kyparissias (the Kyparissia sand dunes) is the Natura 2000 site with the highest number of loggerhead nests in Greece. Registered as GR2550005, it includes the "core" nesting area in south Kyparissia Bay, which extends to 9.5 km of beach, from the mouth of the river Arkadikos in the south, to the mouth of the river Neda in the north.
"In these 9.5 km of beach, more than 3,200 nests of sea turtles were recorded last summer," says biologist Galini Samlidou, the ARCHELON Officer responsible for this project. "Furthermore, 1,100 nests were recorded in the northern part of the Kyparissia Bay which extends to 34.5 km of beach, that are included in the northern part of the area GR2550005 and in the area GR2330005" Dunes and Coastal Forest of Zacharo ", she adds. This is the area with highest number of nests in the Mediterranean.
The researchers / volunteers of the ARCHELON project recorded all these nests but also took care of their protection. "98% of the nests recorded in 2021 were protected from predation while the necessary protection measure was taken against, inundation, trampling and light pollution. This is a serious effort, which requires many hours and hard work and we warmly thank all the volunteers and field leaders who contributed this year ", Galini points out. The field leaders for 2021 were Kira Marie Schirrmacher and Lodewijk Desertine (Monitoring Coordinators), Zoe Connelly, Julian Gervolino, Megan Harvey, and Juliana Pinto (Monitoring Leaders), Georgina Skia (Public Awareness Leader) and Parissa Amirian, (Camp and Volunteer Coordinator).
The “core” nesting area and the need for its protection has been the subject of the Judgement of the European Court of Justice of 10 November 2016 (Case C-504/14) and also of the Recommendation No. 174 (2014) of the Bern Convention, to which Greece has to comply. In addition, the entire Natura 2000 site GR2550005, as well as the neighboring sites GR2330005 and GR 2330008 comprise the Nature Protection Area of Kyparissia Bay, which was designated by Presidential Decree in 2018.
"Violations of the protection measures included in the Presidential Decree occurred in the summer of 2021", says Panagiota Theodorou, Coordinator of Legal & Institutional Affairs of ARCHELON. "The presence of vehicles on the shore was recorded often, while some companies did not remove the beach furniture from the beach at night systematically. Photo-pollution from public and private lights also continued. "We found that this combination of threats resulted in the disturbance of turtles during nesting as well as and the disorientation of the hatchlings upon leaving their nest", she adds.
Unfortunately, the ban on free camping and the attempt to block access to the illegal roads to the beach did not work. Parts of the dunes were occupied by campers once more and obstacles on illegal roads were bypassed daily by vehicles, causing further deterioration. Also, the operation of beach canteens resulted in creating illegal parking lots on the sand, in the surrounding area.
The presence of ARCHELON in the area is regular since 1980, while the systematic recording of nests began in 1984. Since 1992 the vast majority of nests in the "core" nesting area are protected every year. As a result of this massive protection, a gradual increase in the number of nests, and hence of adult females, has been recorded since 2006, throughout the area of Kyparissiakos Bay.
The information actions of ARCHELON for the visitors of the area were limited during the 2021 nesting season, as the Municipality of Trifylia did not issue a license for the operation of the Information Station at the entrance of the "core" nesting area in Kalo Nero. Nevertheless, the Station operated in a private land of GAIAOSE and informed over 1300 visitors in the period August-September.
The report concludes by pointing out that the above issues should be resolved with the Management Plan / Action Plan of the Nature Protection Area of Kyparissia Bay, which is being prepared as part of an ongoing National Program of the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
Read the full report on Kyparissia Bay (in English) HERE.
At the HELECOS 10 Conference: ARCHELON presented the trends in numbers of loggerhead nests in the wider Romanos area of Messinia
From Budapest directly to the Rescue Centre!
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS17/05/2024
Amvrakikos Project 2024: Special Call for a Field Leader
ARCHELON is looking for a highly motivated person to lead its project in Amvrakikos Gulf, one of the few foraging sites for loggerhead turtles in Greece linking several populations nesting across the Mediterranean region.
- OUR NEWS16/05/2024
Τhe nesting of loggerhead sea turtles started earlier this year and the effects of the climate crisis on the oceans are worrying
For the first time, in the 40 years of ARCHELON records, the first sea turtle nest was found in Laganas Gulf, Zakythos on May 10th. Scientific predictions of the nesting season moving earlier in the spring due to climate change are being confirmed.
- OUR NEWS14/05/2024
Save Turtles, See Greece on a Budget
Dreaming of pristine Greek beaches and a chance to make a real difference? Here's why June and September are the perfect months to volunteer with sea turtle conservation efforts in Greece!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
Sea Turtle Festival for Kids 2024
Save the date! On Saturday 18 May at 11:00, the ARCHELON Rescue Centre opens its doors to welcome young and old sea turtle friends who want to celebrate, explore, learn, play and travel magically in the Mediterranean Sea. We are waiting for you to strengthen our message for a better and sustainable planet!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
A successful year for the International Sea Turtle Symposium
The International Sea Turtle Symposium concluded triumphantly this March in Pattaya, Thailand, with ARCHELON actively participating.
- OUR NEWS29/04/2024
A Morning Beach Patrol with ARCHELON
The camera lens of Stefanos and Maria of SteMajourneys caught a rare sight in the early morning: a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting! The volunteers in Chania took action right away to protect the nest.
- OUR NEWS26/04/2024
Protecting sea turtles in Rethymno- Our Ocean, an Ocean of Potential
The 9th International Conference "Our Ocean", which was held in Athens from April 15 to 17, was successfully completed. ARCHELON had the honor to actively take part in the conference and hosted a side event.
- OUR NEWS12/04/2024
Coordination for the protection of sea turtles in Rethymno: Local authorities and tourism businesses join forces
The meeting, which took place on April 5, 2024, in the building of the Regional Unit of Rethymno, touched upon key issues, such as the observance of conservation measures for the protection of the Loggerhead sea turtle. Given the tourist activity on the nesting beaches, the active participation of the tourism sector in the implementation of the measures is necessary.
- OUR NEWS10/04/2024
"Tourists and turtles?" The environmental awareness campaign of ARCHELON spreads to the nesting beaches of the Loggerhead sea turtle
After the pandemic, ARCHELON - the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece - is once again mobilizing on the path to sustainable tourism. The aim of the new campaign is to provide information on the appropriate code of conduct for visitors to all nesting beaches, in cooperation with the tourism sector.
- OUR NEWS04/04/2024
LIFE MareNatura - The largest marine biodiversity program in Greece
- OUR NEWS03/04/2024
Citizens inform us of sea turtle strandings
ARCHELON started the effort to record the incidents of dead turtles washing up on the Greek shores in 1992. In recent years there has been an increase in these records which may be due to more of our fellow citizens reporting such incidents. Learn more…
- OUR NEWS19/03/2024
Contributing to international developments on sea turtle research and conservation
In the past, members of ARCHELON were actively involved in the elaboration of the Global Strategy for the Conservation of Marine Turtles, published in 1995, and nowadays three of our collaborators participate in the writing of the revised guidebook “Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles”.
- OUR NEWS08/03/2024
The Over & Above Awards for 2023
These are the ARCHELON Over & Above Awards for 2023.
- OUR NEWS04/03/2024
The moving experience of Frederique at the Rescue Centre
At ARCHELON, you'll have the opportunity to meet and work together with new people and form lasting friendships - a major benefit of volunteering.
- OUR NEWS29/02/2024
Presentation of ARCHELON 2023 Results: Here is some good news!
On Thursday February 15th, 2024, ARCHELON’s annual Presentation of Results took place downtown, at the Impact Hub Athens. When welcoming members, staff, collaborators, friends and volunteers, Daphne Mavrogiorgos, Director of ARCHELON, spoke about the multi-leveled action of ARCHELON during 2023.