Turtle conservation in Greece

Planet

The project works closely with the local community and visitors to the island on the importance of protecting sea turtles and conserving these endangered species.

Every season the conservation team have helped thousands of hatchlings to safely reach the sea. The team also conduct scientific research on the reproductive cycles of the turtles and their natural coastal habitat, this being done in collaboration with local and national authorities. The team’s research helps guide best conservation practice and identifies threats facing loggerhead turtles on Kefalonia.

The project also organises beach clean ups, to help reduce the amount of plastic in the Ionian Sea.

While our volunteers and customers are overseas, we identify and encourage simple steps to minimise their impact on the local environment and suggest ways they can reduce their carbon emissions.

People

Social responsibility: Before volunteers travel we provide them with a detailed volunteering guide on the area they will be visiting. We try to educate and encourage our volunteers to understand and respect the local population and way of life, and to protect the environment they will be staying.

Economic responsibility: For over 15 years we have been providing volunteers to support charitable projects around the world to fulfil their aims. A UK charity was launched to build on this success by providing financial assistance to overseas causes as well. The organisations we work with are often struggling to fund the invaluable work they are doing so every penny raised makes a real difference.

This is a locally run organisation, providing employment for local Greek staff year-round as a research base. While volunteers are in-country, we encourage them to buy locally and support local businesses. Volunteers are also able to assist with a community projects whereby children from the local community can learn about environmental issues.