Amvrakikos Gulf

Amvrakikos Gulf is located in the Ionian Sea in northwestern Greece and is a relatively shallow and semi-enclosed marine area. ARCHELON in recent years has confirmed a significant presence of turtles in the region, especially near the estuary of the rivers Louros and Arachthos in the northeastern part of the bay, but no nesting of sea turtles has been observed there.

The area is included in the Natura 2000 site “AMVRAKIKOS KOLPOS, DELTA LOUROU KAI ARACHTHOU (PETRA, MYTIKAS, EVRYTERI PERIOCHI)” with the Site Code GR2110001.

The marshes and lagoons in the Bay are wetlands of international importance. The need to protect and preserve the unique ecosystem of the area led to the establishment of the Amvrakikos Wetlands National Park in 2008.

The ARCHELON project in the Amvrakikos Gulf aims to collect data on the population of sea turtles living in the area and includes tracking, capture of turtles using the rodeo technique, identifying or adding tagging and satellite tracking and releasing them directly back to the sea. At the same time, various public awareness actions are being carried out in cooperation with the Center for Environmental Education in Koprena and the Management Agency of the National Park.

The area offers many opportunities for bird watching, and sightseeing including the Visitors Center of the Koprena Environmental Education Center, 18 km south of Arta.

2022 will go down in history because it was the first capture of an adult green turtle in 20 years of action in Amvrakikos bay.