Sea turtles return to nest on the beaches of Crete
This year’s first nest of the loggerhead turtle on Crete was recorded on the beaches of Messara Bay. ARCHELON’s team located the nest on May 23 at Kommos beach and placed a protective cage to avoid disturbance. Morning surveys begin tomorrow on the beach of Rethymnon and in the coming weeks in Chania. The teams will gradually include more researchers / volunteers, always taking precautions against the spreading of coronavirus COVID19 in their areas of residence and activity.
A new life cycle of sea turtles in the Mediterranean begins with the nests that will be made in their nesting habitats, on the beaches in Rethymnon, Chania and Messara bay. Sporadic nests will probably be found, as in previous years, in other areas and especially in Sitia, a local team will support ARCHELON in the protection of the nests.
The journey of the new generation of loggerheads Caretta will begin with their hatching on a sandy beach from the end of July. There is little data on the first years of their lives, also known as "lost years" and according to some estimates less than 1 in 1000 hatchlings will reach reproductive age. Young turtles have been recorded in areas that are feeding grounds, and when they reach adulthood, female turtles will start returning to the same beach where they were born to lay, their eggs every one or two summers.
Greece hosts the largest number of Caretta nests in the entire Mediterranean. One of the most important areas for their long term conservation is Crete. The beaches of Rethymno, Chania and the Gulf of Messara are included in sites of the European Ecological Network NATURA2000 in Greece, with codes GR4330004 (Rethymno), GR4340003 (Chania) and GR4310004 (Messara Bay) exactly because they host the nesting of sea turtles.
To protect this unique visitor, all of us, visitors, businessmen and permanent residents of the area, must help in the following ways:
• By placing beach umbrellas in fixed points and on axes perpendicular to the wave line
• By removing / suspending of beach furniture after sunset, so that there is enough space available for nesting during the night
• By washing beach furniture in an area behind the beach, so that the nests do not get wet and the eggs are not broken
• By leaving traces of turtles and hatchlings intact on the beach until the daily count by the ARCHELON research team.
• By avoiding to place facilities such as permanent shading and showers on the beach
• By avoiding human presence, noise and artificial lights on the beach during the evening hours
• By not using heavy beach cleaning vehicles during the period May-October
We wish a good summer for everybody and we hope to meet you in our public awareness activities on the beach or in the kiosks!
Information: Galini Samlidou, Officer for Crete ARCHELON, tel .: 6937352379, email: archelon.crete@gmail.com
Coordinated actions for sea turtles on the European coasts and seas of the Mediterranean continue
ARCHELON meets with the loggerheads while taking up special protection against COVID19
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…