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Ionian Nature Conservation |
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Information
on wildlife and natural habitat management, Sea Turtle
rescue, Monk Seal research and volunteer projects in the Greek
Ionian.
The Greek Ionian islands are made up a unique
combination of forests, beaches, mountains and wildflower
meadows, home to some of the rarest wildlife in
Europe.
Earth Sea & Sky is a conservation
organisation network for Ionian Non-Governmental Organisations
working to conserve the flora and fauna of the Greek
Ionian.
Our principle objective is to protect the
nesting beaches of the Loggerhead turtle and the natural
habitats of all wildlife contained within the National
Park of Zakynthos.
Our belief in 'conservation by
education' means that we provide what is now the only Wildlife
Information Centre in Zakynthos, at Gerakas Beach. We estimate
that we have 40,000 visitors to the centre each summer, from
all over the world.
Earth Sea & Sky organises
volunteer placements in Greece, arranges volunteer activities
in the Gerakas area over the summer months, does a great deal
of Public Awareness work at the Information Centre, liaises
with local Zakynthians, and visits schools in the UK to talk
about sea turtles. In the past we have arranged the airlift of
maimed sea turtles to Sea Life Centres in the UK, and
organised the first ever 6-month long clean up of the coast
line and forest along the entire length of Laganas
Bay.
ESS co-operates with other NGOs, such as
Medasset (Meditteranean Association to Save the Sea Turtle),
Archipelagos Coastal
and Marine management, and Cephallonia National Marine Park
Authority.
Yannis Vardakastanis has been a
conservationist since 1991, and he set up Earth Sea & Sky
in 1993. He has been steadily working to protect Gerakas where
he grew up from tourism development. He has directed his
energy into bringing conservation and sustainable tourism
together, culminating with Ionian Eco Villagers and Nature
World Travel. In 2005 he won a First Choice Responsible
Tourism Award for his work.
Help to save the
endangered wildlife of the Greek Ionian islands
Earth Sea & Sky Youtube Channel
Earth Sea &Sky
PO Box 4928 Sheffield S6 9FU
Telephone:
0871 7115 065
Earth Sea & Sky is a
not-for-profit organisation, limited by guarantee in England
& Wales. Registration No: 4123700. Endorsed by the
European SeaLife SOS Conservation Scheme and dedicated to the
protection and conservation of the flora and fauna of
Zakynthos and the Greek Ionian.
This web site designed &
maintained by:
Web designers and Developers, SEO, Mobile Marketing
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Earth
Sea & Sky...
was established in
Zakynthos in 2000 by Yannis Vardakastanis. Yannis became a
conservationist in 1991 and has been steadily working to
protect Gerakas where he grew up, from tourism development.
Since 1993 he has directed his energy into bringing
conservation and sustainable tourism together, culminating in
Ionian Eco Vilagers and Nature World Travel - his green
tourism companies - and has been actively involved with
conservation work on the island ever since. More...
S.O.S Turtle Rescue Appeal
Loggerhead Sea Turtles
(Caretta caretta) have been on earth for 250 million years and
are contemporaries of the earliest dinosaurs. The species, as
with all sea turtles is endangered. Each summer hundreds of
Loggerheads return to Zakynthos to mate and lay their eggs on
the beaches in Laganas Bay.
Zakynthos is the most
important nesting ground in Europe, with 80% of the
Meditteranean population returning each summer. Loggerheads
only return to the beach where they hatched, so the Zakynthian
population is indigenous. If they die out the island will not
be repopulated by turtles from other areas in the
Mediterranean.
More...
Threats to natural habitats...
Fires , land development,
littering, agricultural land clearing, and grazing, pollution,
erosion of coast, tourist development, human impact, and
illegal dumping.
Illegal dumping and littering of the
beaches is one of the greatest threats to many species and
habitats. A prime example of how littering and pollution
effect and endanger species is the effect on sea turtles. The
main dangers from litter are:-
Ingestion of plastics,
leading to scarring,blockage of digestive tracts, causing
starvation leading to death
Entanglement in discarded
fishing lines, leading to death by drowning or
injury
Damage to nesting sites, through obstruction,
contamination or compaction caused by use of large mechanical
cleaning devices.
More...
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