People are supporting wildlife conservation
Humans and turtles: we can all live together. Anyone who visits the Rescue Centre or meets ARCHELON volunteers on the sea turtle nesting beaches of Greece, understands the effort that goes into realizing our goal.
For 40 years, ARCHELON, a non-profit Association, has been monitoring and researching the sea turtle populations and habitats of Greece as well as rescuing and treating injured and sick turtles found all over the country. However, these actions, as well as raising public awareness actions for nature and the environment, could not become a reality without ARCHELON’s volunteers and supporters.
More than 1,300 symbolic sea turtle adoptions were made in 2022. Almost half of the "adopters" were people who met the volunteers during the summer in Rethymno, Zakynthos, Chania, Kyparissia Bay, Koroni and Lakonikos Bay. There they learned about the dangers that threaten these marine animals, the importance of the few nesting beaches for their survival and they received instructions on how to behave on the nesting beaches. They ‘adopted’ a baby turtle, a mother turtle or a nest, making it possible for us to cover 110km of nesting beaches, protecting more than 3,800 sea turtle nests. "It gives us great pleasure that some of our friends from the nesting areas renew their adoptions every year and have a whole collection of stuffed ARCHELON turtles", says Elli Tarabe, ARCHELON’s Communications Officer.
The average daily costs of treatment and food for an injured sea turtle at the Rescue Centre is 5€. The ‘adoptions’ at the ARCHELON Rescue Centre in Glyfada are supporting the injured sea turtles under care, and cover each animal's nutrition and medicine for one month, 10 days or even a few days, as several school classes do.
"We especially thank all the children who collected money to cover the costs of a hospitalization for an injured turtle at the Rescue Centre", says Anna Kontoleon, the Education Officer of ARCHELON. About 10,000 students and teachers in schools from all over the country participated in educational activities, during 2022.
Many people decided to ‘adopt’ after visiting the Rescue Centre, impressed by the work done here for the wellbeing of wildlife. Several others chose to book a Sea Turtle Rescue Tour, available with a 10 day sea turtle adoption. With their support it was possible to continue the care of 29 turtles from previous years and receive 33 new arrivals of injured and sick sea turtles. "We welcomed about 11,000 visitors during 2022, who were informed about sea turtles and the marine environment and contributed, in one way or another, to the safe rehabilitation of 32 turtles back into the sea after their recovery at the Rescue Centre” says Dimitris Fytilis, the Rescue Centre Manager.
The amount raised from the donations of volunteers, students and visitors at the Rescue Centre in Glyfada and the Information Stations in Zakynthos, Peloponnese and Crete was €350,000. "None of ARCHELON’s achievements would be possible without the financial support of these people. We owe everyone a huge THANK YOU", says Daphne Mavrogiorgos, the Director of the organisation.
The effort continues in 2023. At the moment, the ARCHELON Rescue Center hosts 16 sea turtles, which are being treated for head injuries or lung infections. You can cover the medical expenses of one of them by making an adoption. Each adopter receives a certificate and informative material for their turtle as well as the ARCHELON newsletter.
Make an adoption now.
Find out more about the sea turtles currently at the Centre.
Find out more about how to support ARCHELON.
Waiting list for schools that want to visit the ARCHELON Rescue Centre
Gail Schofield
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS26/06/2024
Sea Turtles Surprise us: if you see tracks on the beach, help ARCHELON's research!
Not all beaches on Greece's extensive coastline are suitable for sea turtle nesting, but sometimes these marine reptiles surprise us! This summer, ARCHELON is asking for your help to investigate a phenomenon called "sporadic nesting".
- OUR NEWS17/06/2024
ATTENTION! Sea turtles are not pets: Do not touch them or feed them!
In areas where a sea turtle associates human presence with food, it’s behavior changes. The turtle treats humans as well as other turtles as competitors in its feeding grounds and tries to drive them away with bites.
- OUR NEWS16/06/2024
30 Years of Hope: The Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON Celebrates World Sea Turtle Day
Every year on June 16th, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about these magnificent creatures and the threats they face. This year is particularly important for ARCHELON, as the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre marks 30 years of operation.
- OUR NEWS13/06/2024
Poster contest for children and young adults: Welcome the 2024 turtle hatchlings on the beaches!
Watercolors, markers, collage, computer, phone? Everything is useful. Use your creativity and imagination to make an A3 or A4 size poster announcing that the 2024 sea turtle eggs are about to hatch.
- 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…