Turtle volunteering in Greece

This conservation project is located at the Bay of Lakonikos which can be found at the southernmost part of mainland Greece, otherwise known as the Peloponnese.

Lakonikos is perhaps best known as an important nesting area for loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean and GVI volunteers participating on this project will engage in daily morning surveys to record nesting activity and protect turtle nests against predation by mammals and inundation by sea water. Volunteers will also provide conservation information to overseas visitors and the local community. Having been inhabited since the Neolithic period, the area is rich in history and culture and owing to its location near the River Evrotas the area is also rich in bird life and other flora and fauna.

The Bay of Lakonikos in the Peloponnese hosts important nesting sites for loggerhead sea turtles. The research in this area has been running since 1983 and is one of the oldest conservation projects in the Mediterranean. The main threats for these nesting sites are predation of nests by mammals, destruction of nests through inundation by sea water and the destruction of the natural dune systems. Volunteers work in co-operation with the local authorities and the local community, promoting a model of sustainable development that will be beneficial to the local economy. Protection of nests against predation by mammals and/or inundation by sea water ensures that as many hatchlings as possible are added to the population each year, while public awareness activities help people adopt friendlier attitudes towards the natural environment and possibly reduce their environmental footprint in the area.

Volunteers help by patrolling beaches, providing tourists with information on turtles and other environmental issues, saving any injured animals, and conducting beach and forest cleans. Our aim is to show how conservation and sustainable tourism can work together benefiting visitors, locals and wildlife alike. A new project raising money to build a Sea Life rehabilitation centre on the island has recently started so volunteers will also be involved in fundraising and promoting this incredibly important work across Europe.

Turtle monitoring occurs from May to October but there are different projects throughout the year. Volunteers can take advantage of the beautiful spring and autumn wildflowers and migrating birds, the presence of Monk Seals, olive and grape picking, Greek cooking, music and dancing.

All food and accommodation is included in your fee, which will support local families. Also included is travel within the project, a weekend trip away, access to the internet and, most importantly, donations to the local NGOs to help support their valuable work. No formal training is required - you’ll be supervised and trained by the local staff. Knowledge of German and Italian would be useful to communicate with tourists. A driving license is extremely useful.

Be prepared for long hot hours of beach patrolling both day and night. You must be relatively fit, be prepared to work as a team or under individual initiative, happy to promote turtle conservation and talk to tourists as well as get involved in other ad hoc projects.

You will be trained to recognize and monitor loggerheads and their nests, providing tourists with information on their habitat and what’s needed to help with their conservation. You will also be taught about local flora and fauna. In addition you will have the chance to learn to sail, experience Greek
culture, and learn to cook Greek cuisine (during the quieter out-of-season periods.) You will
undoubtedly speak a bit of Greek by the end of your trip.

The accommodation will be in comfortable self-catering flats attached to Greek families. Internet access is available at the Wildlife Tourist Information centre and transport is available to get into town. Food will be a mixture of self-catering and locally cooked with the occasional barbeque party thrown in. Despite the popularity of the south of the island the area you will be in is blissfully peaceful.

All volunteers participate in all aspects of the project work. Volunteers are expected to cover 2-3 shifts per day, averaging about 6-8 hours of work (depending on the duration of the beach work).

These shifts include:

I. NEST MANAGEMENT AND HABITAT PROTECTION

• Morning Survey conducted daily at dawn, to assess the previous night’s turtle activities, as well as factors that may have an impact on the nests’ safe incubation (inundation, human impact, etc.) or the coastal zone (beach cleaning, constructions, destruction of dunes).
• Nest Protection against predation, achieved through screening. Meanwhile nests laid in unsafe areas are relocated further up the beach.
• Excavation of a sample of hatched nests is carried out in order to determine hatchling success.

II. PUBLIC AWARENESS:
Volunteers interact with tourists and members of the local community through participation in:

• The operation of information stations that operate daily along the Mavrovouni beach.
• Slide Shows on sea turtle biology and conservation conducted in tourist businesses around the area

III. OTHER DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES:
These supportive activities are of great importance and play a key role in effective project operation.

Campsites and information stations are maintained in good condition by volunteers. Cooking is also considered part of the daily chores. Basic maintenance of equipment is also volunteer based and includes activities such as painting, preparing materials for the protection of nests, etc. Artistic skills including drawing and photography are also utilised if possible.

Leisure time is available during the day, while project participants are entitled to one day off per week. Days off may be provided any day of the week, not only during the week-ends.