The researchers of Archipelagos Institute are in cooperation with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) for monitoring the Eleonora’s falcon populations on small eastern Aegean islets since 2014 using modern audiovisual equipment. The head of the research group is Dr. Ronny Steen from NMBU, who is an expert in monitoring wildlife behavior through digital image analysis.
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This research is an innovative way of monitoring a rare falcon species, Falco eleonorae, which migrates every year from Madagascar to the Mediterranean Sea and primarily the Aegean Sea. The research is centered on the islets of Anydro and Petrokaravo, north of Patmos, as well as the islets of Lipsi where hundreds of these falcons nest and reproduce every year. Anydro and Petrokaravo are part of the Permanent Wildlife Refuge of Arki and n. Patmos islets, which consist of 14 islands and islets.
The results of this research are the important publications that make the Aegean globally famous for its ecosystems’ rare biodiversity, thus gradually earning the position it deserves in the global scientific community. This is another asset for the protection of rare species and habitats that are part of our seas and islands.
