Update: Zakynthos National Marine Park (ZNMP)
A Glimmer of Hope?

You may remember that during the 2005 nesting season chaos prevailed in the sea and on the beaches of Laganas Bay, and nesting was severely hampered. Action was taken (August 20th) after the high tourist season had ended and nesting was over, by which time it was too late for last year's nesting turtles.

Slow Progress Since the publication of our Update Report to the Bern Convention (October 2005) on the situation in Zakynthos (see http://www.medasset.org/ pub_db/All_tpvs.asp), a number of significant changes have come about. The Ministry of Environment recently paid its contribution to the ZNMP for a European LIFE funded project which it has owed since 2002, and the local municipality have promised to settle their financial contribution to this project as well. Although the national and local authorities are now meeting their funding obligations to the Park, it has come about only through the threat of the imposition of a huge multi-million European Court of Justice fine.

It would seem then, that the Park is once again up and running! But the real issue of illegal tourist buildings and stone walls preventing the turtles from nesting on Daphne beach have still not been resolved and this "strictly protected" nesting beach remains a no-go area for anyone involved in turtle conservation. Although great progress has been made, mostly thanks to the appointment of the very capable Dr Karagounis as Park President by the Minister of Environment, the safety of the nesting beaches is by no means guaranteed.

MEDASSET continues to exert pressure on the European Commission to ensure that they monitor the situation in an impartial and timely manner and that effective action is taken regarding the illegal buildings and walls on Daphne Beach.

Polluter Pays?

This road above Sekania beach has become a landfill site. Storm drains carry pollutants from the rubbish down into Laganas Bay.

For the third year running, Zakynthos island's Waste Disposal Area above Sekania, the most important nesting beach with the highest nesting density of loggerhead turtles in the world (owned by WWF), is leaking poisonous chemicals into Laganas Bay. Despite this having happened before, no study has been conducted to assess the affects this may have on the nesting turtle population. The local prefecture have, at last, sent in their inspectors who have lodged their report with the Zakynthos Public Attorney, proposing penal measures against the Municipality's Cleaning and Waste Disposal Agency, but the law will take some time to have an effect.

It is hard to calculate what cost the slow wheels of European and Greek bureaucracy could be having on the nesting turtles of Laganas Bay. With only one in a thousand hatchlings surviving to adulthood, more than ten nests are needed to produce a turtle that will reach maturity. How many of the eggs for those ten nests were aborted in the sea last year because manmade obstacles (walls, beach furniture, vehicles, lights, noise etc.) prevented the turtles from coming ashore to nest?

To read more about MEDASSET's ongoing campaigns, reports and the history of the situation in Zakynthos please visit our News and Press Release archive at: http://www.medasset.org/ press_archives.htm.