Project results

It was a year of both major achievements and important challenges.

• Across 8 summer field projects, 519 full-time and 74 part-time volunteers took part, supported by 49 field leaders. Most volunteers came from France, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Greece, with additional participants from countries as far as Syria, Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia.
• At the Rescue Centre, 63 international and 49 local (Attica-based) volunteers supported sea turtle care, rehabilitation, and public awareness efforts. -A team of 29 staff members led the coordination, management, and implementation of all activities. In addition, 15 members contributed voluntarily through the Board of Directors, Scientific Committee, and other working groups.
• Volunteer recruitment, training, fundraising, communications, and program planning continued throughout the year.
• 153 students from 58 universities in Greece and abroad completed internships in our field projects and at the Rescue Centre.

On July 9th, 2025, the first hatchlings of the season emerged on Elea Beach in Kyparissia Bay (Peloponnese). This was the earliest recorded hatching since monitoring began in 1984, an important milestone in ARCHELON’s 42 years of continuous work.

• Along approximately 97 km of monitored coastline in Zakynthos, the Peloponnese, and Crete, around 10,700 loggerhead nests were recorded. Most nests were protected with cages, while hatchlings were shielded from light pollution using special shading methods. By the end of the season, nest excavations showed that an estimated 490,000 hatchlings safely reached the sea thanks to the efforts of our teams.
• Night surveys continued, with 249 nesting females identified and tagged. Satellite tracking also continued, with 20 transmitters attached to turtles in the Peloponnese and Crete as part of the LIFE MareNatura project.
• The Rescue Centre cared for 76 injured or sick turtles (28 from previous years and 48 new arrivals in 2025). Of these, 30 were successfully rehabilitated and released to the sea, while 18 sadly did not survive.
• Reports of stranded turtles continued in collaboration with the Hellenic Coast Guard, with 1,280 dead turtles recorded nationwide.
• In Amvrakikos Gulf, 242 turtles were measured as part of ongoing research, with 79 recorded and tagged for the first time.

Our outreach efforts reached approximately 113,000 people who engaged with and supported our work.

• Through 7 field projects, volunteers informed around 84,800 people about sea turtle conservation. Information stations operated in key areas, and guided beach walks were offered to both Greek and international visitors. Awareness activities were also carried out in 94 partner hotels and boats that follow turtle-friendly practices.
• The Rescue Centre welcomed strong public interest, hosting 12,189 visitors during regular opening hours and an additional 827 participants in the Sea Turtle Rescue Tour, bringing the total close to 13,000 visitors in 2025.
• Educational programs continued throughout the 2024–2025 school year, reaching 14,316 students and 1,362 teachers. A total of 412 school classes visited in person the Rescue Centre, while 132 schools joined via live online tours.
• More than 1,770 supporters contributed through symbolic adoptions of sea turtles and nests, helping cover conservation costs.

Partnerships at both national and international levels continued to grow.

• In collaboration with the TUI Care Foundation, ARCHELON continued piloting the Turtle-Friendly Hotel Certificate, helping promote sustainable tourism. In 2025, guidance was provided to 8 hotels in Rethymno and Chania.
• The TUI Turtle Aid Greece project continued in northern Crete, with informational materials distributed to around 180 tourism businesses and staff training sessions carried out. Nesting activity assessments in Rhodes were also completed.
• A joint project with WWF Greece to assess the conservation status of nesting beaches was successfully completed, with volunteers surveying over 75 km of coastline, under the Greek Wildlife Alliance initiative.
• ARCHELON participated in the 16th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR), strengthening ties with the scientific community.
• The first year of the LIFE ADAPTS (Climate Change Adaptations to Protect Turtles and Monk Seals) project was completed, focusing on climate adaptation strategies to protect key Mediterranean species, including the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), and Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus).
• Activities continued under the LIFE MareNatura project, “Conservation of priority marine megafauna species in Greece and Italy,” the largest marine biodiversity project in Greece. All planned activities for 2025 were successfully completed, including the deployment of 20 additional satellite transmitters, collection of samples for stable isotope analysis, drone surveys, research carried out in collaboration with fishers, the construction and operation of a new project Information Station in Kyparissia, and participation in the filming of the project’s documentary.
• Our participation in the Amvrakikos Alliance also continued, in collaboration with other organizations and the Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (N.E.C.C.A.), aiming to improve the management of this important wetland.
• More than 50 foundations, organizations, and companies supported ARCHELON’s work through donations.
• ARCHELON’s scientific output was further strengthened with 17 new publications.