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ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece was founded in 1983. It aims to protect sea turtles and their habitats in Greece through research, public awareness campaigns, restoring habitats, and through its rescue centre, built in 1994.
ARCHELON is a partner to the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, and is hosting the 2006 International Sea Turtle Conference. Despite working with major national and international bodies, ARCHELON relies heavily on the work of volunteers, of which there are some 400 each year.
They state that due to their work:
The rescue centre is currently undergoing development and expansion, and an emergency turtle first-aid centre was built in 2005, on Crete. In 2004, as Athens hosted the Olympic games resulted in a tight financial situation for Greece nationally, which resulted in cuts in its environmental services, which included the closure of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, a move strongly contested by ARCHELON and its members, who prepared a petition.
ARCHELON run a total of 7 long term field projects on loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), nesting beaches around Greece. These projects run for the majority of the nesting and hatching season, from mid-May until mid-October.
The Ionian island of Zakynthos (western Greece) has the largest Mediterranean nesting (the second one being in Kyparissia bay). Because of this, Zakynthos has been chosen to host the original project. The group's founders, Dimitris and Anna Margaritoulis, began collecting data here in the late 1970s and from those initial studies the group grew.
Today the project continues to be the largest in scope of all the Archelon projects. There are 6 beaches on the island that are monitored by the group, all of which are in Laganas Bay to the South. These beaches are Gerakas, Daphni, Sekania, Kalamaki (Crystal beach), Laganas and Marathonissi, a small uninhabited island in the bay. All of the beaches apart from Sekania are heavily used by tourists. Sekania is specially protected due to its very high density of nests and, therefore, its importance as a nesting area. It is completely closed to visitors. The protection of all the beaches and the waters in the bay are implemented by the National Marine Park of Zakynthos. The land behind Sekania was bought by the WWF in order to prevent construction of any kind which may disturb the turtles nesting behaviour.
In 2014 the group has reported a nest count of 1066 nests on the 6 beaches. In addition its public awareness activities have informed approximately 63,600 people, mostly tourists.
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the Greek and Anatolian peninsulas. The sea has an area of some 215,000 square kilometres. In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea by the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. The Aegean Islands are located within the sea and some bound it on its southern periphery, including Crete and Rhodes. The sea reaches a maximum depth of 3,544 meters, to the east of Crete. The Thracian Sea and the Myrtoan Sea are subdivisions of the Aegean Sea.
Zakynthos or Zante is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and its only municipality. It covers an area of 405.55 km2 (156.6 sq mi) and its coastline is roughly 123 km (76 mi) in length. The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin. In Greek mythology the island was said to be named after Zakynthos, the son of the legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus.
Markopoulo is a village and a community in the southeastern part of the island of Cephalonia, Greece. It is situated at the southeastern foot of Mount Ainos, at about 250 m elevation. The community consists of the villages Markopoulo, Kateleios and the beach village Kato Kateleios. Markopoulo is located 1 km east of Chionata, 2 km west of Kateleios, 2 km northwest of Kato Kateleios, 6 km west of Skala and 9 km southwest of Poros.
The loggerhead sea turtle, is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) in carapace length when fully grown. The adult loggerhead sea turtle weighs approximately 135 kg (298 lb), with the largest specimens weighing in at more than 450 kg (1,000 lb). The skin ranges from yellow to brown in color, and the shell is typically reddish brown. No external differences in sex are seen until the turtle becomes an adult, the most obvious difference being the adult males have thicker tails and shorter plastrons than the females.
The green sea turtle, also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean. The common name refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black.
Kalamaki is the name of a beach resort town on the Greek island of Zakynthos. It is located approximately 3 km northeast of the busy resort of Laganas, although despite the close proximity it maintains a much more relaxed atmosphere than its neighbour. It has experienced rapid growth in recent years, due to the growing influx of tourism with the number of charter flights to the area increasing twentyfold between 1983 and 1993. It is located on the south of the island, in the Bay of Laganas. The beach at Kalamaki is also a nesting place for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. As a consequence, the Greek government declared the beach as part of the National Marine Park of Zakynthos. The Greek parliament had previously protected the area through the development of legislation in 1986. This led to bathing being banned at night, and sports such as water skiing being likewise banned.
Mavrovouni is a village in the Mani Peninsula, Greece, south of Gytheio town.
Laganas is a village and a former municipality on the island of Zakynthos, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zakynthos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit Laganas covers the southernmost part of Zakynthos. Its municipal seat was the town of Pantokratoras. The municipal unit of Laganas has a land area of 74.104 km². Its largest towns are Mouzaki, Lithakia, Pantokratoras, Kalamaki, Laganas, and Keri. The central and eastern part of the municipal unit are flat, but there are hills up to 450 m elevation in the west. The Zakynthos International Airport lies in the eastern part of the municipal unit, near Kalamaki. The beach village Laganas, part of the community of Pantokratoras, is on the southeastern coast. A large part of Laganas is a national park, established for the protection of turtles.
Mon Repos Conservation Park is a national park containing an important turtle rookery located at Mon Repos, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of Bundaberg. Mon Repos hosts the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland and supports the most significant nesting population of the endangered loggerhead turtle in the South Pacific Ocean. Successful breeding here is critical if the loggerhead species is to survive. In far smaller numbers the flatback and green turtles and, intermittently, the leatherback turtle also nest along the Bundaberg coast.
Alikanas is a village in the municipal unit of Alykes situated on the northeastern coast about 15 km northwest of Zakynthos (city) on the island of Zakynthos, Greece. It is situated 1 km (0.6 mi) from the neighbouring village of Alykes, on the Ionian coast. Alikanas/Alykanas is a very well known tourist destination. People from all over the world are visiting Alikanas/Alykanas in the summer. It has a beautiful sandy wide beach On the beach of Alykanas you can find the lily of the sea, protected by Greek and International legislation. The famous caretta caretta might be seen sometimes in these waters, even though they prefer less populated areas.
Zakynthos International Airport "Dionysios Solomos" is an airport in Zakynthos, Greece.
The Karpas Peninsula, also known as the Karpass, Karpaz or Karpasia, is a long, finger-like peninsula that is one of the most prominent geographical features of the island of Cyprus. Its farthest extent is Cape Apostolos Andreas, and its major population centre is the town of Rizokarpaso. The peninsula de facto forms the İskele District of Northern Cyprus, while de jure it lies in the Famagusta District of the Republic of Cyprus.
İztuzu Beach is a 4.5 km long beach near Dalyan, in the Ortaca district of the Province of Muğla in southwestern Turkey. The beach is a narrow spit of land, which forms a natural barrier between the fresh water delta of the Dalyan river and the Mediterranean. It is one of the main breeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean and is therefore often referred to as Turtle Beach. The loggerhead turtle is on the IUCN Red list of endangered animals. For this reason the beach has had a protected status since 1988 and is part of the Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area.
The Padre Ramos Estuary Natural Reserve is located on the northwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua, in the municipality El Viejo in the department of Chinandega. It is one of 78 protected areas of Nicaragua and is managed by Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA). Estero Padre Ramos consists of a large mangrove estuary surrounded by several small beach communities, the largest of which is the town of Padre Ramos. The area's natural environment is home to a number of species of migratory and resident birds, fishes, crustaceans, sea turtles and other wildlife. While increasing in popularity as a tourist destination, tourism remains relatively well controlled in the area.
The Gulf of Drin or Bay of Drin is an ocean basin of the Adriatic Sea within the Mediterranean Sea in the northern coast of Albania. Roughly in shape of a scythe, it extends immediately from the Delta of Buna in the north, across the port city of Shëngjin, to the Cape of Rodon in the south. The shoreline of the gulf is a shallow combination of sandy beaches, sand dunes, capes, salty and fresh water wetlands, estuaries, pine and coastal forests, reed beds and coastal meadows.
Argaka is a village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 7 km northeast of Polis Chrysochous. From a geological perspective, it is located upon the calcareous sandstones, the sands, and the marls of the Pleistocene period as well as the lavas and the magma rocks . From a morphological aspect, what stand out are the coastal, alluvial plain, one or two marine terraces, and a slope that steadily ascends up to 500 metres. Several streams flow down from the slope toward the sea, indeed with a relatively large one flowing next to the village. The river of Makounta, upon which the Argaka – Makounta dam was constructed, is located southeast of the village.
The National Marine Park of Zakynthos founded in 1999, is a national park located in Laganas bay, in Zakynthos island, Greece. The park, part of the Natura 2000 ecological network, covers an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi) and is the habitat of the loggerhead sea turtle. It is the first national park established for the protection of sea turtles in the Mediterranean.
The Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area is a protected natural reserve in the Turkish province of Muğla. In June 1988 it was determined and declared the first protected area of its kind of Turkey. In 1990 the original SPA area was extended westwards. Up to now, there are fourteen natural reserves with this status, of which Pamukkale is probably the best-known. All these areas are under the supervision of the ÖÇKK, the Turkish Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas.
The Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program (GTCP) is an environmental organisation based at the Gnaraloo pastoral station and run by the Gnaraloo Wilderness Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation. The aim of the GTCP is to identify, monitor and protect the nesting beaches of loggerhead sea turtles found at two locations on the Gnaraloo coastline. These two rookeries contribute to the South-East Indian Ocean subpopulation of loggerhead turtles, with other major nesting sites for this sub-population at Dirk Hartog island and Exmouth. This is within the southern boundaries of the Ningaloo Coast marine area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Bald Head Island Conservancy (BHIC) is a non-profit organization founded November 7, 1983. BHIC's mission is barrier island conservation, preservation and education. It is located in the Smith Island Complex in Brunswick County, North Carolina, which includes Bald Head Island, Middle and Bluff Islands, all of which are bounded by the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. BHIC sponsors and facilitates scientific research that benefits coastal communities and provides numerous recreational and educational activities for students, educators, visitors, and residents. In coordination with various organizations, partnerships and collaborations, the Conservancy has led the nation in conservation and research efforts and is uniquely poised to become a leader in Barrier Island Conservation world-wide.