Greece
MOm scolds government inaction
MOm has released the text of an open letter addressed to several key Greek ministries, criticising the government for its inaction on monk seal conservation issues. The move was prompted in part by the reactions of Greek and foreign tourists, thousands of whom visit MOm Information Centres every year.
The letter tells ministers that Information Centre visitors often ask the same question when acquainted with the facts of the monk seal’s precarious hold on survival: "What is the Greek government going to do about all this?" MOm’s reaction, the letter continues, has always been to assure the public of the government’s own promises, among them:
- The establishment of a management body for the National Marine Park of Alonnisos-Northern Sporades, with funding for five years of operation originating from the 3rd EU Structural Fund.
- The establishment and operation of the National Marine Park of Kimolos-Cyclades, with alternative development opportunities for the island pursued as a matter of priority through special national and EU channels.
- The establishment and operation of the Olympos Eco-development Area in North Karpathos and Saria, together with the provision of adequate infrastructure and any additional measures necessary for the rational development of the area.
- The commencement, without any further delay, of the second phase of the National Program for the Protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, thereby ensuring an effective response to threats to the species and its habitat throughout coastal Greece.
The letter, addressed to the ministers and deputy ministers of Environment, Agriculture, Culture, Development and Finance goes on to say that, when told of government promises, visitors either smile in hope or in irony.
Although technically a non-governmental organization, MOm continues to shoulder responsibilities normally undertaken by governments or government-affiliated institutions, most notably guarding activities in the National Marine Park of Alonissos-Northern Sporades, and the operation of the EU-funded Biological Research Station at Gerakas.
Despite these duties, government commitments and funding have often proved erratic. The organization has faced a major funding shortfall during its current fiscal year because of bureaucratic bungling in Brussels (see Winners and losers in LIFE, TMG 2:2 1999.) and apparent indifference in Athens.
Baby boom in the Sporades
The first newborn pup of the season was recorded by MOm researchers in the Northern Sporades Marine Park (NMPANS) on 4 September. Since then, an additional 10 pups have been counted, including 6 infant seals in one cave on Piperi, an event considered unprecedented in recent history, and a testament to conservation efforts in the region. Eight of the 11 newborn pups were found in the strictly-protected core zone of the Park.
Although the NMPANS covers some 2200 square kilometres of Aegean sea and islands, its core zone, Piperi, is strictly off-limits to fishing, tourism and other forms of human disturbance.
During ongoing research of designated Natura 2000 areas in the Aegean (see TMG, passim) MOm researchers have found 6 newborn pups in the Kimolos & Polyaigos complex, one of which was dead. Around North Karpathos and Saria, researchers have so far counted 2 pups. – Panos Dendrinos, MOm
The Ports of Ulysses
MOm’s research vessel IFAW-Odyssia completed its expedition to Andros and Tinos during the summer months, two Aegean islands that are part of the NATURA 2000 Network. The voyage formed part of a developing cooperation between MOm and the Cyclades Development Enterprise in elaborating ‘The Ports of Ulysses,’ an EU programme, financed by the INTERREG II Community initiative and by the Ministry for the Aegean, to promote alternative types of quality tourism. MOm hopes that its participation will further its aims in establishing alternative development opportunities in the buffer zones adjoining new monk seal protection areas. – Vrassidas Zavras, MOm
Stories about seals
In recognition of its growing international membership list, MOm is producing an English-language version of its quarterly news bulletin, Stories About Seals. Readers considering MOm membership should write to the organization at the following postal or email address: MOm, Solomou Str. 18, GR-10 682 Athens. Email: info@mom.gr. – Maria Dimitropoulou, MOm
Network gathers data
MOm’s Rescue and Information Network continues to gather valuable data on monk seals throughout coastal Greece. Its 1300 members report sightings of injured, orphaned or ailing animals, provide valuable information on the distribution of the species, and also spread the conservation message among local people.
Since its founding in 1991, RINT has gathered 1,600 reports of live monk seals and 142 reports of dead seals [editor’s note: numbers of reports should not be confused with numbers of individual seals].
An analysis of the data contained in these reports indicates that:
- Contrary to conventional wisdom, the species remains widely distributed throughout both island and mainland coastal areas of Greece.
- Aside from already known sites in which the species breeds (either protected or slated for protection), reproduction has been reported from a further 28 areas around Greece.
- Despite their hostility towards Monachus monachus as a competitor for increasingly scarce fish resources, local fishermen are receptive to conservation initiatives that can be specifically designed to tackle both their own fisheries problems and the conservation of the monk seal. These potentially significant attitudes among fishers are also reflected in a comparative study using data collected both in Greece and in Cornwall in the UK to be published in Mammalia (S. Adamantopoulou, S. Kotomatas, D. Glain. In Press. Fishers and seal conservation: Survey of attitudes towards monk seals in Greece and grey seals in Cornwall. Mammalia.)
- The species is capable of covering considerable distances, despite its often sedentary reputation. For the first time, monitoring the movement of three monk seals without the use of technical means was made possible by members of RINT and MOm researchers. All three seals had characteristic markings that helped in their identification: an adult female in Chalkidiki, an adult male in Karpathos and a young male in the Northern Sporades. According to the evidence collected, the greatest distance covered by one of the three seals was 159 nautical miles within 3 months, whereas another individual covered a distance of 28 nm in 2 days. These results were presented in two recent conferences (8th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, Kavala, Greece, 17-21 May 1999 / 13th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Maui, Hawaii, 28 November-3 December 1999) and are pending publication in a scientific journal.
While MOm applauds the efforts of its Network of correspondents, it also has a few words of caution for those who might suddenly find themselves in close proximity to such a critically endangered species:
- If the monk seal is in a cave, move away immediately.
- If the animal is on the beach, do not approach, attempt to feed or to push it back into the sea.
- Notify MOm immediately by calling the special hotline: 01 5222 888 or 01 3304 688.
- Because of the value of sighting reports for the conservation of the species, try to keep a detailed account of the animal’s characteristic features (colour, size, wounds, patches, pattern of fur etc.), as well as its behaviour.
- However blurry or imperfect they may be, send copies of any photographs or videos to MOm H/Q in Athens. – Stella Adamantopoulou, MOm
Karpathos
MOm opened a new Information Centre on 17 June 2000 in the coastal village of Diafani in North Karpathos. All children, from primary through high school, embraced MOm’s initiative, and became a continual source of life for the Information Centre. They made honest and accurate observations and were keen volunteers in various activities. This was made evident by the children’s whole-hearted, cheerful and efficient participation in the major beach cleaning operation at Diafani, which took place on 26 June. Together with MOm’s own volunteers, the children needed more than 4 hours and 15 large rubbish bags to clear the beach of litter, while at the same time they set aside a large number of bulky objects (tyres, wood, car batteries etc) for later removal by the community truck. – Vasilis Stravaridis, MOm
Monk seal shot in Zakynthos
Necropsies were performed by MOm specialists on two monk seals found dead during the summer months. A young seal less than a year old was discovered dead on the beach of Yialia in SW Alonnisos on 17 July. In an advanced state of decomposition, the animal was missing the entire lower part of its body making identification of its sex and the cause of death impossible.
In the Ionian Sea, an adult female seal was found dead on 9 August in the Lake Keri area of Zakynthos. Alerted by members of the Greek WWF team and by the Zakynthos Port Authority, MOm dispatched its own specialists to the island. The animal, well known to locals, was of an advanced age and was known to have given birth to a number of pups. The necropsy revealed that the seal had been shot in the abdomen with a shotgun and had died shortly after of hemorrhagic shock. – Vrassidas Zavras, MOm
Camping Festival
From 11-20 August MOm took its monk seal conservation message to the Camping Festival, an annual youth event held on a 150-acres of forested coast below Mount Olympos. Live music, horse riding, gliding, mountaineering and other outdoor activities were complemented by the presentations of various humanitarian and environmental organizations, including MOm, Doctors without Borders, the Hope Foundation for the Child and the Family, Arktouros, and the Greek Center for the Relief of Wild Fauna. – Maria Dimitropoulou, MOm
IFAW provides funding bridge
MOm reports that the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was the only international organization to respond to its emergency appeal for funds following disruption in expected EU financing (see TMG 2:2, LIFE funding rejected for new millennium; TMG 3:1, Guarding continues despite funding crisis).
Heeding the cash crisis, IFAW provided $30,000 to maintain essential guarding activities in the National Marine Park of Alonissos, Northern Sporades for the year 2000. Expressing its gratitude for the grant, MOm voiced the hope that other NGOs would follow in IFAW’s footsteps.
A long-term collaborator of MOm, IFAW has previously provided funds for the organisation’s research vessel, the IFAW-Odyssia, and its patrol boat.
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