31st Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation: Abstract for Oral Presentation Presenting author: Lily Venizelos Email for Author: lilyvenizelos@medasset.org Fax number: + 30 210 3613572 Presentation type: preference: oral Equipment needed: equipment needed for PowerPoint presentation Title of Presentation: MEDASSET (MEDITERRANEAN ASSOCIATION TO SAVE THE SEA TURTLES) – A UNIQUE APPROACH TO CONSERVATION. Authors: Lily Venizelos(1), Roger Poland (2) Author affiliation: (1): MEDASSET, 1c Licavitou St., 106 72 Athens, GREECE; (2): Operation Wallacea, Wallace House, Old Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire, PE23 4EX UK. Abstract: MEDASSET, an International pioneering NGO with its roots going back to 1983, is registered in Greece and the UK. When constituted in 1988, it was and still is the only organization working exclusively on marine turtle conservation and education throughout the Mediterranean. Core funding by the founder enabled the organization to pursue monitoring, research, conservation and education projects in European, Near Eastern and North African Mediterranean countries: these activities have been fully backed by key international intergovernmental organizations and further supported by sponsors and fundraising. Internationally, MEDASSET has made a major contribution towards the legal framework protecting sea turtles and has carried out important projects such as a 7,880 km survey of Mediterranean coastline, not only discovering new nesting sites but confirming the absence of turtles in key areas. Amongst hundreds of activities it has helped to pioneer satellite tracking in the Mediterranean, investigated the effect of fishing on sea turtle populations and carried out ongoing yearly assessments of major nesting areas: these findings have been presented to the Bern Convention at the Council of Europe and have resulted in the adoption of significant conservation strategies to protect sea turtles. One of its most important activities has been lobbying and campaigning and this helped towards the establishment of the Zakynthos National Marine Park (1999). It has initiated many campaigns with its recent success against chemical pollution on the important green turtle nesting beach in Kazanli, Turkey. Endangered green turtles in the Mediterranean have been a conservation priority for MEDASSET since 1989. There have been several other successful campaigns such as the ban on the sale of turtle meat and blood in Egypt (1998) and since 1996 there has been an on-going campaign on the impact of ‘Small Garbage” to marine life which has spread successfully beyond Europe to India. The release of captive turtles held in Monaco, Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Albania have
made exciting stories to increase public awareness. The EuroTurtle website (1997) was the first interactive educational website devoted to sea turtles and is maintained by MEDASSET: it has an estimated 1,500,000 hits annually from 50 different countries and has received several awards. Other innovative ventures such as “Niretta the Caretta” for creative learning and Environmental Education kit, “The Mediterranean Sea, a Source of Life" in three languages, have put MEDASSET at the forefront of public awareness and education. It has been MEDASSET’s enthusiasm, persistence, imaginative approach, hard working and highly active lobbying and campaigning at every level that has made it a unique organization. MEDASSET never shies away from getting involved in conservation projects especially where research had never been carried out before and where little or no commitment to sea turtle conservation exist, thus consciously choosing the ‘hard way’ in helping to develop turtle conservation in the Mediterranean. Until MEDASSET’s campaign for the protection of sea turtles on Zakynthos (Greece), few had heard of this now famous sea turtle site or even knew of the existence of such magnificent animals in some countries of the Mediterranean. Words: 500