News And Updates

by Marine Team,
()

on November 4th, 2011

Shark Week
Shark week is taking place between the 15^th and 23^rd of October and Archipelagos is getting in on the action. We are producing an educational shark awareness package for long term use and organising a small event addressing local schools. Posters are being printed to advertise Shark Week to the locals of Samos. An ID guide of sharks found in the…

by Fauna Team,
()

on October 27th, 2011

I have just graduated from Kent University studying Wildlife Conservation and I am here from September to December studying bats and helping with the media projects.

My bat surveying will hopefully provide preliminary research to initiate a comprehensive year-long study in 2012 and instigate long –term monitoring of populations on Samos and eventually Ikaria.

I started by using literature and ID books…

by Archipelagos ,
(Greece)

on September 1st, 2011

Tourism on Samos has, in the past, provided one of the major sources of economic income to the area. However, in recent years tourism has taken a noticeable downturn, primarily due to the economic climate. Established centres of ecotourism on Samos include:Vathy – (capital of Samos), Kokkari and Pythagorio as well as in other areas. However, Greece faces some problems…

by Marine Team,
()

on August 29th, 2011

The members of the Marine Team at Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation have been working on installing a permanent quadrat at Western Breakwater. We regularly survey at this site for data on biodiversity of species and their interactions with the surrounding environment.

The permanent quadrat is a unique tool that allows us to track changes in a fixed area over time.…

by Marine Team,
()

on August 29th, 2011

Members of the Marine Team at Archipelagos Institute for Marine Conservation have been working on placing a permanent quadrat at one of the regular snorkel sites close to the base in Ormos Marathokampou, Samos. The quadrat marks a designatedsquare on the seabed measuring 5 meters by 5 meters.With regular snorkel surveys the Marine team will collect data from the quadrat…

The media team has been busy working on several different projects covering a variety of topics from biodiversity on Samos to the experiences of Archipelagos volunteers.  I am currently in the process of putting together a short nature documentary about the Common Chameleon on Samos.  Though found elsewhere in the world, in Greece this particular species is found…

by Fauna Team,
()

on August 23rd, 2011

In June 2011, I began work on two terrestrial wildlife projects. Archipelagos has been consistently working on establishing a year-round chameleon population survey. In addition, the organization has been trying to set up collaboration with toxicology analysis labs that will analyze tissue samples of local wildlife to see if there are harmful pesticide residues or chemicals found.

In Greece, the Common…

by Marine Team,
()

on August 19th, 2011

Recently, several Archipelagos team members went on an expedition to the island of Marathi by boat. Marathi is a tiny island; it is about 20 minute walk from one end to the other and we swam halfway around it and back in around 2 hours.  During the winter it has three inhabitants, the owners of its three tavernas. During…

by Marine Team,
()

on August 5th, 2011

A snorkelling survey is currently being undertaken in Marathokampos bay, Samos, where data is being collected to be used in a comparison study with data collected last year. The data being recorded on each transect includes; species and populations of fish, depth, boulder complexity and substrata. This information will be used in further analysis and related to any variations in…

by Marine Team,
()

on August 5th, 2011

Functional groups are a way of categorizing algae based on similarities in morphological characteristics. In the three phyla of algae; red, green, and brown, there are groups of species that show differential responses to environmental parameters. For example, in an ecosystem with many herbivorous fish and invertebrates, tough algae will dominate because it has evolved a form of protection. Therefore,…