Warmest greetings from Ghana, West Africa!
Bahari Karuna is about "Ocean Compassion" dealing with sea turtle and shark conservation in the Western Region of Ghana, working with communities in order to benefit them and the oceans while securing the survival of species for future generations. Neil Davis, an Archelonosaurus (late Cretaceous) & WILDSEAS Projects Director sent us this short report!
Things are normally winding down at this time of year over here but my recent trip to Bahari Karuna turtle project was anything but quiet! More on that later but first things first, it is actually thanks to ARCHELON that WILDSEAS project, Bahari Karuna exists.
Back in 2010, at the end of another long turtle season, at ARCHELON’s Lakonikos Bay Project, I found myself a job in western Ghana, living on the beach for nine months as Turtle Conservation Coordinator for Hen Mpoano/USAID! John Flynn came out to visit, and the two of us founded the WILDSEAS, a plan we had hatched while in Greece earlier that year.
In the beginning (2011) we worked on a 10km nesting beach, but it soon became apparent that this was not even scratching the surface. The problems were much more than losing a few turtle eggs. After witnessing the rampant poaching not only on the beaches but also at sea, we reached out to local chiefs and recruited a team of dedicated locals. Although many turtles were caught incidentally in nets, fisherfolk were still landing many turtles and selling them for meat. In 2012 at Axim we secured a commitment from the fishermen to safely release turtles caught in their nets instead of selling them to be butchered.
In 2015 our Safe Release program expanded to include the fishing villages of Essiama and Ampenyi, greatly increasing the number of fishermen committed to saving turtles in the Western Region. Since 2012, more than 800 adult turtles have been saved thanks to this program, and more than 500 of these turtles have been tagged so WILDSEAS can collect data on their movements.
Last season was our biggest so far and this one looks like we are going to break all previous records… no wonder December and January was no holiday ;-)
Each place Eric Quayson (our coordinator based in Axim) and I visited, we were run off our feet. Juvenile green turtles captured in beach seines, even one unfortunate enough to have been held captive in a fish pond at Busua. Leatherbacks seem to be everywhere this season and unfortunately we weren’t able to save some of them, but still, the numbers released by us and other projects in Ghana are on the up. One day we went out for a spot of lunch at Dixcove and ended sharing a taxi back to Busua with eight olive ridleys! Eric had found them tied up to one of the fishing boats close to the shore, never a dull moment!
In December WILDSEAS and other NGO’s in West Africa met to form a new working group that will enable us to engage directly with each other, share ideas/best practices and support each other through any difficulties we may face. WASTCON (West Africa Sea Turtle Conservation Network is now in the latter stages of incubation and will soon be ready to hatch!
More info can be found on our Facebook pages here
Bahari Karuna: https://www.facebook.com/BahariKaruna/
WASTCON: https://www.facebook.com/Sea-Turtles-Network-Initiative-in-West-Africa-377214772841682/?ref=br_rs
The Koulouris family with two generations of “turtlers” in Zakynthos
Will the loggerhead sea turtles continue nesting on the beaches of Crete?
RECENT NEWS
- 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…
- OUR NEWS19/03/2024
Contributing to international developments on sea turtle research and conservation
In the past, members of ARCHELON were actively involved in the elaboration of the Global Strategy for the Conservation of Marine Turtles, published in 1995, and nowadays three of our collaborators participate in the writing of the revised guidebook “Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles”.
- OUR NEWS08/03/2024
The Over & Above Awards for 2023
These are the ARCHELON Over & Above Awards for 2023.
- OUR NEWS04/03/2024
The moving experience of Frederique at the Rescue Centre
At ARCHELON, you'll have the opportunity to meet and work together with new people and form lasting friendships - a major benefit of volunteering.
- OUR NEWS29/02/2024
Presentation of ARCHELON 2023 Results: Here is some good news!
On Thursday February 15th, 2024, ARCHELON’s annual Presentation of Results took place downtown, at the Impact Hub Athens. When welcoming members, staff, collaborators, friends and volunteers, Daphne Mavrogiorgos, Director of ARCHELON, spoke about the multi-leveled action of ARCHELON during 2023.
- OUR NEWS02/02/2024
Sea turtles in the Greek wetlands of international importance
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on February 2. These vulnerable areas of the planet are a refuge for migratory birds and other wildlife species, including sea turtles. ARCHELON is present in wetlands that play an important role for sea turtles, such as the Amvrakikos Gulf.
- OUR NEWS24/01/2024
Why are ARCHELON’s projects international?
ARCHELON’s sea turtle conservation projects are organized with the valuable contribution of volunteers who come to Greece every year not just from Europe but from more distant places such as South Korea, Australia, and Colombia. Speaking English while carrying out fieldwork or public awareness activities as well as when interacting with each other in the campsites is essential to the projects.
- OUR NEWS17/01/2024
ARCHELON has been running a special hospital for sea turtles with tanks and impressive old train wagons for 30 years in Glyfada
Turtles with IV and bandages, rehabilitation and recovery tanks, special environmental enrichment equipment, recovery greenhouses, and… renovated train wagons! The hospital for injured and sick turtles that ARCHELON has set up in the 3rd marina of Glyfada, next to the sea, is certainly something out of the ordinary.