Which is the way to the sea?
Think of tiny baby turtles, each about 4,6 cm long and weighing 20 grams, which have just hatched from their nest and become fatally attracted by artificial light. They arrived on the surface at night, or at dawn, after about two months of incubation and a few days of struggling to reach the nest’s surface. They should be guided by the reflection of the stars and the moon on the water or the reflection of the breaking dawn, to their destination – the sea.
Loggerhead hatchlings start their journey at night or early morning, in order to run across the beach while the sand is in comfortable temperature conditions. In the dark, they can also go unnoticed from their bird predators.
Unfortunately, in some beaches, a significant number of them miss out the direction to the sea led by stronger lights from the roads, restaurants, bars or hotels. Instead of the sea waves, they meet the asphalt where they die under the wheels of cars, or they fall down into the drain grates or trenches. They may also get entangled in bushes behind the beach. As they try to find their way to the sea in vain, they lose vital time and energy. Being exposed to the bright sun, they will die of dehydration in a few hours.
Artificial lights located behind the nesting beaches leads to the disorientation of hatchlings.
To mitigate this problem, ARCHELON volunteers take action a few days before the hatching of a nest starts. They create shading with natural material, usually old and new beach mats, so that artificial light shine less on the nest. The shading creates a pathway leading to the sea, so that hatchlings will reach the sea safely. More than half of the nests on Rethymno, Chania, Messara, Lakonikos and Koroni are protected by ARCHELON with shading from artificial lights during the hatching season. You can read more about the protection of nests and its results in 2020 in this link.
Why are we doing this? On the beach, hatchlings must escape natural predators like birds and foxes to make it to the sea. Once in the water, hatchlings are consumed by seabirds and fish. Few survive to adulthood, with estimates ranging from one in 1,000 to one in 10,000.
It is well established that tourism and development, if left unmanaged/ unregulated, have a negative impact on sea turtle nesting beaches. There would be less hatchlings entering the sea each year, and the chances of having adult sea turtles in 15-20 years would be reduced.
It is also well established that plastic marine litter affect the health of sea turtles and that adult turtles are often victims of accidental capture and death in fishing gear. This is why loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are considered by IUCN as globally Vulnerable and their subpopulation in the Mediterranean is considered as Conservation Dependent.
ARCHELON, a non-profit environmental NGO has been protecting sea turtle nests and raising public awareness on sea turtle conservation in Greece since 1984.
More information is provided near the main nesting beaches of loggerheads in Greece: You can find ARCHELON volunteers in the following areas:
Zakynthos
Information Kiosk on Somolou Square (next to Foskolos cinema, info table at Crystal Beach and turtle spotting boats NEFIS & TUI
Kyparissia bay
Information Kiosk in Kalo Nero
Lakonikos bay
Information Kiosk on Mavrovouni beach in front Ocean Pub & Camping Meltemi
Koroni
Information Kiosk in front of town hall
Rethymno
Information Kiosk at Venetian Port
Chania
Information Kiosk at Old Town Port (opposite the KAM Center of Mediterranean Architecture)
Messara bay
Information Kiosk at entrance of Matala
Visit our webpage: www.archelon.gr
Volunteers help save sea turtles through European Solidarity Corps
Great luck to meet “Ella”, the beautiful fairy, again in Kalo Nero, Kyparissia bay
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…