ARCHELON

Un mois de volontariat qui prend fin...et une expérience inoubliable ! 🌞 Retour sur mon expérience en tant que Leader Volunteer avec ARCHELON, Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece. Pour la deuxième année consécutive, j'ai eu l'opportunité d'être volontaire pendant la période de nidification de la tortue caouanne au sein de ARCHELON, une association engagée dans la protection des tortues marines et de leurs habitats en Grèce. Au cours de cette mission, mon travail s'est articulé autour de deux grands axes: 🌞 Les surveillances du matin (Morning Survey) : surveillance des plages, suivis de traces de tortues, localisation et protection des nids, tout en appliquant un protocole scientifique rigoureux et en collectant des données essentielles au suivi de la population. 🐢 La sensibilisation au public (Public Awerness) : réalisation d'actions de sensibilisation auprès du public sur les bateaux, les plages, dans les hôtels et au kiosque d'information afin d'encourager l'adoption de bonnes pratiques et de mieux faire comprendre les enjeux liés à la protection des tortues marines. Ce mois passé à Zakynthos a, une nouvelle fois, été une expérience exceptionnelle. J’ai pu approfondir mes connaissances sur la tortue caouanne, tout en développant mon sens des responsabilités, mon autonomie et mon esprit d'équipe. Un immense merci à toute l'équipe d'ARCHELON ainsi qu'aux volontaires venus du monde entier pour leur accueil, leur bienveillance et cette aventure humaine unique. À l'année prochaine, peut-être ! 🐢💙 ARCHELON #Volontariat #ARCHELON #SeaTurtles #Conservation #Biodiversité #Environnement

A busy but fun first couple weeks back in Rethymno with ARCHELON - this time as a field leader! Lots of monitoring, relocating, camp building, new volunteers and of course beautiful sunrises and sunsets🌟 Ready for a season full of more tracks, nests, and eventually hatchlings !🐢

As my second month with ARCHELON here in Kyparissia draws to a close, I continue to be thankful for the incredible opportunity to spend time with these beautiful creatures and incredible people. June was a month in which we celebrated our 1000th nest of the season as a team, and I tagged my first-ever loggerhead turtle. It's also been a month of learning more about the mechanics of the work that needs to be done, developing new database and analysis skills as well as practical and life skills. It's often very early starts, or very late nights, but it is never ever hard work. Bring on month 3! #archelon #loggerheadturtles #kyparissia #universityofplymouth #upsu #conservation #marinebiology #oceanscience #beachlife

🌊⚠️ 4.000.000 cubic metres of seabed material from two locations in the marine area of Epanomi are planned to be used for the construction of the 6th pier of the Port of Thessaloniki. The dredging operations are expected to take place in close proximity to the Marine Protected Area and the Posidonia seagrass meadows.🌱 The environmental concerns arising are mainly related to the likelihood and extent to which the planned dredging activities will affect the area's unique species and habitats, including the Posidonia seagrass meadows, the region’s “Blue Lung.” 🤝 A strong coalition of citizens, associations, and members of the scientific community has expressed its opposition. Professor Yannis N. Krestenitis has documented the insufficient assessment of both the coastal engineering and environmental impacts of the proposed dredging in the protected area of Epanomi. He has also raised critical questions regarding the potential effects on water turbidity, nearby Posidonia seagrass meadows, shoreline morphology, and the time required for ecological conditions and marine ecosystems to recover from such a large-scale extraction operation. In response, the Municipality of Thermaikos has submitted a request to the Council of State of Greece seeking the cancellation of the operation. 📢 As environmental organisations, we support the efforts of the Committee for the Protection of Cape Epanomi and all those who have joined their efforts to preserve our natural heritage, which is not only a right, but also a responsibility shared by all of us. MEDASSET ARCHELON CALLISTO, Environmental Organization for Wildlife and Nature Ορνιθολογική BirdLife Greece HSPN - Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature #NatureFriendsGreece

I recently spent two weeks volunteering with ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, in Kyparissia during loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting season. This was my second time volunteering with Archelon. After such a positive experience during hatching season two years ago, I knew I wanted to come back. It’s a unique opportunity to meet like-minded people from around the world, contribute to meaningful conservation work, and have a lot of fun along the way! During my time in camp, I took part in daily morning beach surveys, nest recording, nest protection and a variety of other activities supporting the conservation programme. Towards the end of my placement, I also had the opportunity to lead survey teams, recording and identifying turtle track types, locating egg chambers, and carrying out data entry following surveys. One of the most interesting aspects of returning was experiencing a different stage of the loggerhead sea turtle life cycle. Two summers ago, I volunteered during hatching season, while this year I was there during nesting season witnessing female loggerheads coming ashore to lay their eggs. Before I left, the team had already recorded over 1,000 nests, with predictions of 9,000–10,000 nests across the season. It’s really encouraging to see such strong nesting numbers in the area! The work also highlighted some of the challenges loggerhead turtles face, with wild boar, foxes and free-roaming dogs posing a significant threat to nests. We witnessed a number of nests that had been predated before protection measures could be put in place. A huge thank you to the ARCHELON staff, leaders, and volunteers for another brilliant experience. I’m grateful to have played a part in helping to protect the loggerheads! 🐢 #conservation #seaturtles #loggerheadseaturtles #wildlifeconservation #volunteerexperience #ecology #biodiversity #ARCHELON