On May 22nd, during the first visit of the ARCHELON volunteers to the nesting beaches for 2018, two Caretta caretta nests were discovered. The nests were located in the areas of Agia Marina and Gerani and were marked for protection purposes.

Earlier than in previous years, the Caretta caretta sea turtles appeared on the beaches of Rethymno to lay their eggs. The first nest of 2018 was located by the experienced ARCHELON volunteers in Adelianos Kampos on May 20th, while on the same day, tracks of a laying attempt were recorded within the city of Rethymno and in the Skaleta area.

The residents and visitors in the areas of Giannitsochori Ileias and Elaia Messinias, as well as the ARCHELON volunteers were unpleasantly surprised in the early hours of Tuesday, May 22nd 2018. Two-hundred and eighty motorized vehicles (motorcycles and four-wheeled motorcycles) traversed the beach for 5 hours, destroying the vegetation and dunes. The organizers were present at certain points of the route, indicating the exact route to the contestants, directly on the protected beach and the dunes.

Today is the European Day Natura 2000, and with that in mind, the environmental organizations ARCHELON, MEDASSET, MOm and WWF Hellas express their concern regarding the vast number of illegal interventions that have been observed inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos in recent months, causing serious environmental degradation within the protected region, posing a serious risk to the sea turtle nesting beaches.

The first Caretta caretta nest for 2018 in the southern Kyparissia Gulf habitat was spotted by ARCHELON volunteers in the early hours on Sunday May 13th, near Vounaki. Nesting started a few days earlier this year, compared to previous years, with the turtles returning every year to the beach they hatched from many years ago.

The first sea turtle nest of 2018 within the National Marine Park of Zakynthos was located by the volunteers of ARCHELON on Sunday, May 13th, on the beach of Gerakas.

In the hall of Impact Hub Athens, where the annual presentation of ARCHELON's programs was held on Thursday, February 15, 2018, one could find familiar as well as new faces of all ages, who had come to honor the event with their presence.

The adoption of the bill on protected areas is an important milestone for the protection of the nature of the country, stressed by environmental organizations. What matters now is the way it is implemented, which will also determine its effectiveness.

The European ecological network Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection zones that extends throughout the European Community and aims to ensure the long-term preservation of its most valuable and most endangered species and habitats.

This year the society had the joy and honour to accept the help of hundreds of voluteers from all around the world, a fact that demonstrates that after all, offering your time with single exchange the ethical dimension of "give and take", has acquainted huge importance, in the hard times the planet goes through!