Saving the Caretta Caretta turtles on Zakynthos – in Greece

On my holidays to the Greek island of Zakynthos, I’ve often visited the Turtle information centre at Gerakas beach. It’s run by Earth Sea and Sky organisation, dedicated to preserving wildlife in the Ionian Islands.

Yannis Vardakastanis who runs the centre, has won several conservation awards for his work to preserve the Caretta Caretta, or Loggerhead Turtles that nest on the beach near where he grew up. Here’s my interview with Yannis which will interest all of you committed to travelling in harmony with the natural environment.

Interview with Yannis Vardakastanis

Yannis, your family’s from this part of Zakynthos, so what got first got you interested in the turtles?

The thing that got me interested in the turtles was the richness of wildlife you see around you. It’s so important for us to save them, and preserve them for the next generation.

The sea turtles have been here for thousands of years using the beaches of Zakynthos at Gerakas. I grew up here, and my family comes from this area of the island.

My first steps of life were down on Gerakas beach and I grew up playing with the turtles and swimming with them. In those days it was just me and my family. Sometimes I found myself in the middle of the summer in July and August on my own with the turtles.

Tourists started visiting the island in the early 1980s when the first charter flights came to the island. Since then, I saw a lot of people visiting the beach and slowly, slowly the numbers grew. I recognised that there would be a problem in the future.

So in the early 90s I made a decision to get away from the beach. I used to run the the beach bar, the sunbeds, umbrellas and pedalos. But, I started to feel that I was part of the problem and I didn’t want that, because this is my home, this is where I learned to walk my first steps.

Founding Earth Sea & Sky Wildlife Centre

So now you have the Earth Sea and Sky Wildlife Centre at Gerakas, tell us about the work you’re doing there?

I started Earth Sea and Sky around ten years ago, but my work here started long before. I aim to inform visitors coming here how to protect this areas, especially the turtles, the beach, the birds, the reptiles, and all the creatures of the area.

Also the very important issues such as climate change, the local resorts, the bush fires. I want to educate the visitors that come to this area, to be careful how they spend their holidays here.

I give them the right message to take back home and do the same thing back where they come from. So we try to promote tourism but in the right way.

Threats to the turtle population

What would you say the main threats are to the turtle population here?

The loggerhead sea turtles live in the Mediterranean and they don’t move out of it. The only predators the sea turtles have in this part of the world are humans, and the threat from human activities.

The turtle’s survival is the human’s responsibility. We try to educate people to respect the turtles. If we don’t care about the turtles nesting sites or we use the speed boats here, then we are the biggest threat to the turtles. We should recognise that soon we may cause their extinction.

Responsible turtle viewing

So if people want to come and see the turtles on Zakynthos, but they want to do it in a responsible way, what advice would you give them?

If you go on a boat trip to see the turtles, you should make sure the boat is friendly to the environment. It shouldn’t pollute the water and shouldn’t allow visitors on the boat to throw litter into the sea.

You should make sure the sewage system is working and that they don’t throw their sewage in the sea, because it can enter the turtles’ stomachs. They must respect the laws of the marine park.

The laws are very clear: go no closer than 10 m to the turtle, slow down and not drive fast around them, and don’t chase them. Any turtles in distress should be left alone – this is the best way to discover the turtles by boat.

Volunteer conservation projects

You also have volunteers who come and work with you, on these conservation projects. How can people get involved in that?

They can contact me via my website or Earth Sea & Sky and we can organise for them to come out here. They can work with us to preserve the marine life on Zakynthos and also the other wildlife – like birds and the reptiles and insects. In ecology everything is connected to each other so we have to protect them all to give a chance to these beautiful creatures.

Do you have any more projects in the pipeline?

I already started some activity holidays. This is conservation work where you go out into the environment and see wildlife, at the same time you help protect them, and preserve them We clean the beaches and do any work that needs to be done to make sure these creatures have the right environment for survival.

How do you enjoy working with the visitors who come to Zakynthos?

I really enjoy working with the visitors who come here, especially those who give us great help. Not just those that help with their hands but also in creating an economy to support this beautiful area.

They help to preserve the culture of the area, to keep the Greek families happy. This brings benefit on both sides, for humans and wildlife, especially the turtles.

Tips to conserve the turtles on Zakynthos

• Make sure you take all your rubbish home from the beach, especially plastic bags which turtles can mistake for a tasty jellyfish snack.
• If you visit a turtle nesting beach, keep well clear of the turtle nests that will be marked and roped off.
• Don’t venture onto turtle nesting sites at night or shine any bright lights on these beaches. The hatchlings use the lights reflected off the sea to guide them and may be confused by other lights on the shore.
• If you are lucky enough to spot a turtle while swimming, observe them from a distance to avoid them any distress as they can also deliver a nasty bite if you get too close.
• If you take a boat tour around Laganas bay, don’t choose an operator that guarantees you a turtle sighting or your money back. This practice encourages boats to seek out and harass the declining numbers of turtles in the bay.

Video of our turtle spotting boat trip

I hope you enjoy this video about a turtle spotting boat trip that we took in Zakynthos

Video interview with Yannis Vardakastanis Zakynthos

I hope you enjoy my video chatting to Yannis below

You can find out more about the work to conserve the turtles and other wildlife on Zakynthos, on the Earth Sea and Sky Website.

National Marine Park of Zakynthos is the government agency that manages and protects the area around Laganas Bay containing the turtle nesting beaches.

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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