Grants

Habitat & Biodiversity Protection

Ionian Dolphin Project 2022

€10,000 awarded

The Ionian Dolphin Project continues in Paxos and Anti-Paxos for the third year running. This year, as a trilateral partnership between the Ionian Environment Foundation, The Blue Marine Foundation and the Tethys Institute, we worked in collaboration to maximise the outputs of the project.

 

The Ionian Environment Foundation will play an important role in the implementation and establishment of strong and trustful relationships with the fishing communities of the Ionian islands. This project works well in symbiosis with other IEF aims to build trust with local stakeholders in the region, particularly the fishing communities, and in so doing contribute to the improved likelihood of effective marine conservation via their cooperation over time. Together with the guiding principles of the Blue Marine Foundation we recognize that small-scale fishing practices are fundamental to the Greek islands’ economy and culture. As such, developing close relationships with fisherfolk and ensuring they are actively engaged in marine management discourse, is essential to promoting an effective and sustainable outcome. This approach builds on the assumption that people who directly depend on local ecosystems to maintain their livelihoods, develop rich and nuanced understandings of these ecosystems. It is argued that appreciation and application of this knowledge in environmental planning and management can improve its effectiveness, sustainability and legitimacy.

 

Why is this Project Important for the Ionian?
Dolphins and monk seals inhabiting the coastal waters of Greece are facing significant threats. Some marine mammal populations must deal with increasing human encroachment, while others have disappeared altogether from portions of their former range. Marine mammals, as flagship species of the marine conservation movement, can play a crucial role in raising public awareness on ecosystems status and stimulate education and outreach on marine environmental issues to support marine management goals. This is particularly valid for Greece, and more specifically for the Ionian, where they are also considered important components of the historical heritage.

The surveys will provide new evidence and key information on the actual status of the common dolphins and the bottlenose dolphins in the central part of the Ionian Islands, which will contribute in identifying the most adequate measures to promote the conservation of these iconic Ionian species.

The surveyed area is a NATURA 2000 area, which is known to be important for marine mammals, such as dolphins and monk seals. This area has been regularly surveyed by the IDP for over three decades and it is important to keep collecting data in order to be able to contribute to effective protection in the future.

Activities include:

I. Dedicated marine mammal visual surveys will continue in the above-mentioned areas. The surveys aim to collect data about the presence of coastal dolphin species. Monitoring and periodically assessing marine mammal population abundance and distribution is critical in order to ensure their conservation and design management strategies.

II. A preliminary assessment of the coastline morphology of the west side of Paxoi-Antipaxoi in terms of coastal monk seal habitat availability will be also conducted. This will be done by performing an aquatic inspection of the coastline to verify and document the presence of caves suitable as potential monk seal shelters and hauling out sites or pupping locations.

III. Preliminary accumulation of Fishers ecological knowledge:(FEK), accumulated over the course of their fishing careers can be invaluable and help marine researchers and resource managers by providing critical information to inform the management of fish stocks and rebuilding marine ecosystems. We mostly intend to increase awareness and sensibility of the fishers towards marine conservation by inviting them to reflect on issues that traditionally have been ignored by their community and to gain their collaboration and support for the eventual promotion of the most adequate management measures for the conservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Overall Aim:

We are confident that these activities will help shed light on issues that have been largely ignored until now. The  IDP has actively contributed, with their knowledge gained over 30+years, in the drafting of the management plan for the Inner Ionian Sea Archipelago Nat2000. They have strong links with the Management Unit of Zakynthos and Ainos National Parks and Protected Areas of the Ionian islands, the body responsible for the implementation of the Management Plans and the measures included within them. The research conducted this year, in 2022, will continue to inform these management plans and promote the creation of well-monitored marine protected areas.