The presentation of ARCHELON’s Accounts for 2025 was held with great success on Saturday, February 14th in Glyfada, under the title “The Mediterranean We Protect Together”, honoring the people who stand on the front lines for the protection of the Mediterranean’s marine life.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by ARCHELON’s Director, Daphne Mavrogiorgos, who highlighted the consistency and long-term commitment that characterize ARCHELON’s work. She emphasized that meaningful conservation results are only possible through collective effort, working together for a Mediterranean full of life. The Mayor of Glyfada, Giorgos Papanikolaou, also addressed the audience, referring to the long-standing relationship between the Municipality and ARCHELON. He expressed his continued appreciation for our work and reaffirmed the Municipality’s support for the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre, located at the 3rd Marina of Glyfada.

42 Years on the Nesting Beaches: Results and Challenges of 2025

The first panel of the event was moderated by Anna Karatsori, who invited ARCHELON associates to reflect on the most significant outcomes of the 2025 field projects. Peli Tsousi, Project Manager for West Peloponnese, referred to the exceptionally high nesting activity recorded for the third consecutive year in Kyparissia Bay, with 10,700 nests documented. She underlined the enormous effort required to monitor and protect such a large number of nests. At the same time, she praised the inexhaustible energy and commitment of the volunteers who made this demanding season possible. Michalis Souroulidis, Field Project Coordinator, highlighted the impressive outreach impact of the projects, noting that 113,000 people participated in public awareness activities in 2025. He also emphasized the close link between sea turtle protection and sustainable tourism, particularly through the cooperation developed with hotels in northern Crete. Panagiota Theodorou, Institutional and Legal Affairs Coordinator, focused on the increasing pressure of light pollution on nesting beaches. She stressed the need for systematic action and coordinated cooperation among stakeholders in the coming years. Finally, Fryni Papanikolaou, Volunteers Officer, highlighted the truly international character of ARCHELON’s work. She shared that 590 volunteers traveled from dozens of countries around the world to contribute to the 2025 projects.

Giving Life a “Second Chance” at the Rescue Centre

The second panel, moderated by Christiana Kamprogianni, focused on the 2025 results of the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre. Rehabilitation Officer Eirini Kasimati and Rehabilitation Assistant Michalis Moraitis shared some of the most demanding and memorable cases of the year. Among them were the severe head injury of “Herbert,” which required careful and sustained treatment, and the story of "Nori" that had to return to the Centre for a second time. The Centre’s Manager, Dimitris Fytilis, presented the facilities upgrades and emphasized the Centre’s important role as a public information hub, welcoming 13,000 visitors over the year. Finally, Education Officer Anna Kontoleon spoke about the Centre’s new educational programs, which reached 14,000 students across Greece.

«Over & Above» Awards

A particularly moving moment of the event was the presentation of the annual “Over & Above” Awards, honoring individuals and partners who went beyond expectations in their contribution to sea turtle conservation. From the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre, the following volunteers were recognized for their outstanding dedication: Nektarios Kosteletos, Mara Loizou, Angie Raab and Yiannis Parlamas. From the Peloponnese field projects, awards were presented to: Thanos Avgoustopoulos, Popi Thymara, Giorgos Bountas, Panagiota Sarigianni, and Nikos Stathakis. From the Crete projects, the distinction was awarded to: Victoria Kapogiannopoulou and Pavlina Markopoulou.

In addition, two long-standing partner organizations received special honorary distinctions. The Naxos Wildlife Protection Association was honored for its many years of contribution to the protection and rescue of sea turtles on the island of Naxos. The Toulipa Goulimi Association was recognized for its long-standing support in the recording and protection of nests in eastern Peloponnese, where 143 nests were documented in 2025.

LIFE MareNatura: Traveling with Turtles

Scientific knowledge also took center stage through the European project "LIFE MareNatura: Conservation of priority species of marine megafauna in Greece and Italy”, in which ARCHELON participates as a partner. Dr. Aliki Panagopoulou presented the first results from the sea turtle satellite tracking program for the years 2024–2025. Through detailed maps and movement data, she revealed the impressive migration routes of sea turtles across the Mediterranean, highlighting the diverse survival “strategies” they adopt.

The New LIFE MareNatura Photography Exhibition

The event continued at ARCHELON's Rescue Centre for the Opening of the new LIFE MareNatura Photo Exhibition. This is a visual narrative dedicated to the 9 iconic species of the Mediterranean: the Mediterranean Monk seal, the Loggerhead turtle, the Green turtle, the Sperm whale, the Harbour porpoise, the Cuvier's beaked whale, the Common dolphin, the Yelkouan shearwater and the Audouin’s gull.

The exhibition is part of the Rescue Centre and is open to the public. Visitors have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the facilities, meet the turtles under care and learn more about the work of ARCHELON.

Visit the Exhibition

Weekdays: 13:00 – 15:00

Weekends: 11:00 – 17:00

Location: ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Center, 3rd Marina, Glyfada.