The Mediterranean Monk Seal Argiro Makes the Headlines in the Greek-Russian News Agency

The monk seal ‘Argiro’ not only acts as an ambassador for the unique natural environment of Samos but also for the people who are passionate towards the exceptional natural heritage of the Greek island and who continuously strive to protect it. You can read the Greek version of the article here: http://greece-russia2016.gr/tourism/20160418/425462.html Due to the

Cleaning Inaccessible Coastal Areas of Refugee Boats & Life Jackets

Last Sunday, major collaboration efforts were made to clean the inaccessible coasts of the eastern part of Samos where tons of waste (life jackets, refugee boats & other plastics) have been accumulating due to the refugee crisis. Most of this waste can be found in steep coasts where refugee boats usually end up. Cleaning these

88 birds have been released back into the wild

Following the recent actions of Archipelagos Institute to combat songbird poaching in Greece, we received multiple incident report from citizens about cases of illegal capture and caging of large numbers of songbirds in homes, warehouses, business premises etc. Specifically, there were two incidents that we were able to confirm, for which we submitted official reports

Heavily injured Sea turtle / Dead Dolphin

During the past days, researchers of Archipelagos Institute found another dead dolphin in the area of NW Samos. It was an adult striped dolphin, which showed no obvious cause of death. A necropsy was conducted by Archipelagos and samples were collected to be sent for toxicological analysis. Yesterday, another unpleasant incident took place. A loggerhead

Poaching Songbirds: A Continuous Environmental Crime

The poaching of songbirds is a chronic problem here in the eastern Aegean that Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation is working to combat. However, it happens throughout the whole of Greece, especially in areas where there is a strong migration of songbirds. This widespread, illegal and immoral smuggling has never been treated seriously by the

Archipelagos in a Documentary of German national TV WDR

The documentary produced by the German public television channel WDR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xesnrSd6s-w  presents the research and conservation actions conducted by Archipelagos Institute, aiming to combat over-intensive aquaculture practices and to promote sustainable aquaculture in the Aegean and the Mediterranean sea.  Aquaculture in Greece has developed in recent decades, sadly under the criteria of economists and not

One more monk seal found dead in Kefalonia

One more Mediterranean monk seal was found dead, near Fiskardo of Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea. At the same time in the waters of Spain, France and Italy, where the Mediterranean monk seal populations have been declared extinct for decades, local stakeholders are making a great effort aiming to encourage potential natural reintroduction of this

Three buzzards released on the island of Samos

Researchers of Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation released three buzzards (species Buteo buteo)  in three different areas of the island after the birds had received several months of treatment by the Wildlife Protection Agency ANIMA. Dozens of students of the island, with their teachers, were in attendance and helped in the release process. These buzzards

Interactive Environmental Education in Alyki salt marsh

Last Saturday, researchers of Archipelagos’ terrestrial team, organized a pilot educational programme in the salt marsh located in Aliki, Psili Ammos, in Samos. 35 students attended this educational day from various primary schools on the island. Our goal is that the students learn about the rare species that live in this particular wetland through various

Hellenic Seaways continues to support the efforts of Archipelagos

During 2015, Hellenic Seaways with its help allowed: A) Transferring our research volunteers between Piraeus, Samos, Lesvos, Chios and Ikaria to implement several important research efforts, such as the installation of the Climate Change Monitoring Station-Tropical Signals off Makronissos islet. B) The safe transport of 22 injured wild animals (sea turtles, birds etc.), in need