Conservation landmarks were reached by surveying over 7300 km. of coastline from Sardinia to the NE Aegean and from the Ionian Sea to the Shores of Egypt and Libya. This unique information has been made public and has provided invaluable information about the life history of sea turtles in the Mediterranean. MEDASSET's research projects have been co-funded and supported by a number of national and international bodies including the EU, the United Nations Environment Programme (RAC/SPA/UNEP/MAP), WWF/UK, Greek Animal Welfare Fund (GAWF/UK), Herpetofauna Conservation International/UK (HCI), and the British Chelonia Group (BCG)
Each year, assessments of major nesting areas such as, Akyatan, Dalyan, Kazanli, Patara and Samandag in Turkey, Akamas in Cyprus and Zakynthos and Kefalonia in Greece, are presented to the standing committee of the Bern Convention at Council of Europe where they provide information for action by the Bern Secretariat, forcing the governments to make and report on annual assessments.
A major contribution
has been made to the constitution of a legal framework for the protection
of sea turtles in the Mediterranean, especially Greece, where persistent
assessment reports, campaigns, lobbying and appeal to the E.C. and to
the European Ombudsman resulted in a European Court of Justice case
and were instrumental in the establishment of the National Marine Park
of Zakynthos (ZNMP) in 1999. 
Since 1988 the organisation has been a partner to UNEP/MAP and a permanent observer-member to the standing committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention)
Another area of focus has been support for projects on tourist awareness of Loggerhead sea turtles such as one directed at tourists and tour operators on the islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia (Greece), and in Dalyan (Turkey) by the Biology Department of Kings College (Taunton, UK) in 1993 and 1996.
Initiated in 2001, MEDASSET is operating for the 4th year, a research program in Lebanon to investigate the nesting activity on the beaches of El Mansouri. Urgent recommendations have been made in the published data for the establishment of conservation measures.
An international
awareness and action campaign “Small Garbage” established
in 1997 is being operated for the 7th year running aiming to educate
the public about the problems caused when litter/garbage enters the
world’s oceans. The campaign is gaining momentum with articles
in a number of International Publications, leaflets and posters.
Following recent fundraising and sponsorship campaigns, MEDASSET was
kindly sponsored by the Greek fruit juice manufacturer ’Amita
MOTION’ to enhance the ‘Small Garbage’ campaign.
MEDASSET’s environmental educational kit “The Mediterranean Sea – A Source of Life” was produced in 2000 in both Greek and English for free dissemination to schools around the Mediterranean. An original and unique educational tool aimed at raising young peoples awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of the region and of the need for marine environmental protection. 2004 saw the start of a project to translate the Kit into Arabic. MEDASSET aims to produce translations into the languages throughout the Mediterranean.
In 2003, MEDASSET initiated a rescue operation for 2 Loggerhead turtles kept in disgraceful conditions in a restaurant in Jerba, Tunisia. The turtles were taken to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre in Monastir for rehabilitation and released with substantial television coverage.
In 1998, with the help of the University of Madeira (Portugal), and in an exercise involving the cooperation of 4 countries, Oceania, a young Hawksbill turtle smuggled into France as a hatchling and raised at the aquarium of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, was released in Madeira. An event with international media coverage.
MEDASSET strives to be an active organisation involved in International Campaigns for the protection of sea turtles. Some recent examples include;
Pollution
incidents in Kazanali, Turkey. Chromium waste has been discharged onto
a nesting beach of the critically endangered Green turtle and into the
surrounding sea. The campaign was initiated in 2000 following a pollution
event and continued into 2001. This resulted in the appointment of a
specialist sea turtle advisor to the local Soda-Chrome factory adjoining
the beach, additional monitoring by the Turkish authorities and in 2002,
an on the spot assessment by the Bern Convention. As a result, new facilities
were installed for the treatment of toxic liquids and plans are being
developed for the removal of vast quantities of toxic waste products
stored on the beach.
A campaign against the development of a Naval Museum and installation of decommissioned naval vessels on the olive ridley marine turtle nesting beach of Visakhapatnam, India.
Our campaign for World Heritage status in Patara, Turkey established as a partnership with a Turkish archaeologist. As a result a representative of UNEP/MAP visited the site in 2002 for an on the spot assessment of both the ecological and cultural value of the site.
MEDASSET and EURONATUR are currently coordinating a petition against the Greek Ministry of Environment’s failure to fund the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, and a consequent withdrawal labour by the unpaid staff at the beginning of the 2004 Caretta caretta nesting season
In 2002, with the help of MEDASSET’s representative in Egypt, Yasmine, a Loggerhead turtle that was displayed in a bowl at a restaurant in Port Said was released in the sea at Alexandria, in the presence of the media and representatives of the Egyptian Government.
In 1997, MEDASSET in collaboration with the Stazione Zoologica - "Anton Dohrn", in Naples (Italy), organised the release from the Greek island of Kefalonia of "Paola", a rehabilitated injured loggerhead sea turtle fitted with a satellite transmitter. The event was televised, filmed, and reported worldwide. Subsequent adventures caused great public interest. In 1999, “Paola” featured in a GPS exhibition in London's Science Museum. By tracking such sea turtle movements we are learning more about the routes used by turtles and identifying key foraging and over wintering areas, for use in formulating protective legislation regarding marine turtle by-catch by fisheries.
Continuing enlargement and organisation of MEDASSET’s significant Mediterranean Sea Turtle Resource Centre.
Studies initiated
in 1997 into the status of the endangered soft-shelled brackish water
turtle Trionyx triunguis in the Nile Delta, Egypt in collaboration with
the Friends of the Environment of Alexandria (FOEA).
2001 saw the third phase of a public awareness campaign and assessment of sea turtle predation and exploitation amongst the fishing community of Alexandria, Egypt, in collaboration with FOEA.
2004 will see the 21st year of our overview of the situation of the loggerhead turtle nesting beaches of Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, Greece.
Quarterly each year, MEDASSET publishes its ‘Turtle Dives’ newsletter in Greek. This booklet contains an overview of the research activities and findings, fundraising events and public awareness articles. The newsletter is disseminated free of charge to people and organizations throughout Greece.
Each year sees new developments to our interactive website EuroTurtle. Operated as a joint venture with Exeter University and Kings College, Taunton in the U.K, the site became Europe’s first educational and scientific website for the conservation and biology of sea turtles. Achievements of EuroTurtle include an annual ‘hit-count’ in excess of 1,370,000 and awards from the ‘National Grid for Learning’ and ‘ByTeachers.org’.
2004 saw the sixth year assessment on the status of three important green turtle (Chelonia mydas), nesting beaches on the southern shores of Turkey, highlighting tourist impact, pollution and Industrial/commercial development. The findings were for a report to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention. Green turtles are the sea turtle species under most severe threat of extinction in the Mediterranean.
Each year, MEDASSET in collaboration with universities, schools and other youth organisations (from Greece and abroad) runs a volunteer programme, at the head office in Athens, Greece.