Allowing coexistence of Monk seals with tourism in the inner Ionian Sea archipelago through science-based management
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Allowing coexistence of Monk seals with tourism in the inner Ionian Sea archipelago through science-based management

Dates / Project duration

March 2021 - February 2024 / 3 years

Status

Completed

Location

Ionian Sea

Project leader(s)

Tethys Research Institute ?

Description

The Inner Ionian Sea Archipelago, occupying 866 km2 along the west coast of Greece, offers critical habitat to a complement of coastal marine mammals - the common dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, and the Mediterranean monk seal – all subjected to variable levels of threat. 

Despite institutional conservation setup being adequate in principle, in practice monk seal protection is non-existing in the area: unlike in the Aegean Sea, in the Ionian Sea there are no areas specifically designated for the protection of monk seals. Hence, action to maintain and secure monk seal presence in important monk seal locations such as the Ionian Islands, surrounding islets and seas is urgent, particularly given the pressures from tourism.