2 years of joint systematic efforts to protect Greece’s largest wetland “Amvrakikos Alliance” celebrates World Wetlands Day 2025

Friday 31st January 2025

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Two years ago, the vision of a collective commitment to contribute to the effective management and protection of the Amvrakikos Gulf was born, embodied in the "Amvrakikos Alliance".

Recognized as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention since 1975, the Amvrakikos Gulf is one of the largest and most important wildlife refuges in Greece, hosting the Critically Endangered Common Bottlenose Dolphin Amvrakikos subpopulation, more than 300 bird species, Loggerhead and Green sea turtles, ten species of sharks and rays—most of which are threatened with extinction (e.g. Aetomylaeus bovinus, Gymnura altavela and Mustelus mustelus) —coralligenous formations, and possibly the last refuge of a unique marine megabenthic community in the Mediterranean. At the same time, Amvrakikos Gulf, the only fjord of the Mediterranean Sea, is a fragile environment which characterized by an intense anoxic and hypoxic regime, with 50% of the seabed and 30% of the water being under anoxic conditions.

The Gulf's ecosystem and its people have been coexisting for centuries. Acknowledging their undeniably interconnected future, 7 organizations, supported by the Acheloos and Amvrakikos Gulf Protected Areas Management Unit of the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA) and with the participation of the local community, work systematically to highlight the unique ecological value of the Amvrakikos Gulf National Park and its natural and cultural heritage, for effectively manage, restore, preserve and protect its unique ecosystems and biodiversity.

The Amvrakikos Alliance’s activities in the region range from raising awareness and actively involving the local community in the design of effective ecosystem-based management measures, to scientific research that will enhance our understanding of Amvrakikos and the significant threats it faces.

In this context, a total of three participatory workshops and meetings were held among the Alliance partners, community members, and local stakeholders, where 91 participants exchanged information about the Amvrakikos Gulf to identify the main pressures it faces based on their personal experience. One of the Alliance's first initiatives was also the publication of the report "Amvrakikos Gulf: Biodiversity and Threats", which presented the state-of-the-art on the knowledge about the wetlands’ wildlife and the multiple threats present. This report can be accessed here.

The "Amvrakikos Alliance" efforts are on-going and will contribute to the Gulf’s much needed protection. Specifically:

• Monitoring of the, strongly resident and distinct, Amvrakikos Bottlenose Dolphins Subpopulation continues. In 2024, 143 different dolphins were identified, based on photo-identification through the analysis of images collected by the Tethys Research Institute.
• After 20 years, the Hellenic Ornithological Society has monitored and mapped the breeding bird species in the vast reed beds of Amvrakikos, confirming its national importance for some. In total, we counted 5,880 pairs of colonial species (herons, Pygmy Cormorants, etc.) and 813 pairs of territorial species (Ferruginous Duck, Common Pochard, etc.) nesting during the 2024 breeding season.
• A total of 180 sea turtles were identified and measured by ARCHELON, 47 of which were recorded for the first time, significantly contributing to the development of informed conservation strategies for their long-term protection within this critical ecosystem.
• iSea continues the systematic monitoring of fisheries interactions with sharks and rays in Amvrakikos, having tagged over 260 individuals of sharks and rays bycaught, to enhance knowledge about these threatened species.
• Finally, on-going research activities by the Oceanus-Lab and the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the University of Patras, focus on marine ecosystem assessment, i.e., seabed exploration, marine habitat mapping fishing vessel activity and monitoring of anoxic/hypoxic regime.
• On the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2025, we are excited to launch the newly developed "Amvrakikos Alliance" website, soon also available in Greek, where you can find more information about this unique ecosystem and stay tuned on our activities and results!Visit the website here: www.amvrakikosalliance.net