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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

Sixth Monk Seal Dies… – once again due to Illegal Dynamite Fishing

A few days ago a group of researchers from Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation located a young Mediterranean monk seal, which was deliberately killed by a dynamite explosion in the southwestern part of the Samos Island. This incident is the second deliberate killing of a monk seal recorded in the eastern Aegean this month and

The Refugee Crisis in the Aegean during the Winter

The situation for thousands of refugees who keep travelling across the Aegean during harsh winter months becomes increasingly tough. The humanitarian infrastructure of the islands has improved tremendously and now nothing remains of the chaos during summer months, when only few volunteers and members of the local communities used their own resources to help thousands

The Monk Seal “Argiro” reaches the coast of Turkey

The Mediterranean monk seal known as Argiro, has turned up since last week on the coast of Turkey. After 2 years of being constantly monitored in the region of NE Samos, where her movement covered a range of 10 miles, is now exploring new waters as she is gradually reaching maturity. This monk seal is

An Interesting Cooperation

During the previous days we had the joy to cooperate with the renowned marine mammal expert, Dr. Maurizio Wutrz, an expert in the research of Mediterranean whale populations. His guidance and cooperation with Archipelagos’ marine mammal research team has been invaluable help in our research, monitoring and conservation efforts of marine mammals of the Aegean.

A Large Conservation Effort

After many thousands of hours of monitoring, for almost 2 years, our aim has been to limit the interaction of this special seal with humans. The busy summer months are over, having succeeded to maintain the balance between the seal and those who visited the sites where she rested. We hope that during the winter

Intermediterranean Landcare Action for the Restoration of land Degradation

Last week, Archipelagos found itself in the historic city of Santiago de Compostella in Spain for the purpose of contributing to the development of an exciting new intermediterranean action entitled LANDCARE. The objective of LANDCARE is to improve current training capacities for graduates and young scientists, in relation to Land Degradation and Rehabilitation in Southern

Completing the research in Sigri, Lesvos

  Archipelagos’ marine research team completed its research in Sigri, Lesvos. The research was conducted for “The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest” and was in cooperation with the Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment of Athens University, as well as with the National Technical University of Athens. Our focus was the mapping of

Archipelagos at the Climate Change Conference in Paris

Can we avoid global warming by protecting the Greek seas? The answer is obviously “yes”, and members of the “We Are Paris” initiative prove it in an interview with Anastasia Miliou, Research Director of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation. “We Are Paris” is a project of the University of Brussels in Belgium, which explains

The Mediterranean chameleon – our special neighbor in the Aegean

Archipelagos’ Terrestrial Research Team, is continuing for the 6th year the monitoring of the Mediterranean chameleon population on Samos island. Being aware of the rarity of the species and of the responsibility this brings, Archipelagos began to monitor populations of this rare species since 2009, combining field research with awareness raising efforts. Our aim is

Another baby died in the deep darkness of the Aegean

A few hours ago another baby almost two months old, died on the small island of Agathonisi in the eastern Aegean Sea. The boat on which it was travelling crashed on the rocks around midnight and the baby was found in the sea, as were all others that were travelling with that boat. They climbed
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