Spetses and Hydra islands are famous for their maritime tradition and continue to be popular destinations for sailors, hosting numerous events and reviving events and customs of their maritime history, such as the "International Race of Classical and Traditional Boats of Spetses", "Armata" and "Miaoulia".
The area's natural beauty makes them even more popular destinations for sailing and speedboats. At the same time, the fact that vehicles are not allowed on the islands and many journeys to and from the islands are made by water taxi, leads to increased boat traffic around the islands.
However, the available port facilities are inadequate to accommodate such a number of boats and as a result, the increased tourism in the area is contributing strongly to the degradation of the Posidonia meadows that have been mapped around these two islands through the uncontrolled anchoring of boats on the meadows.
What we have achieved so far:
In 2022 iSea mapped for the first time the Posidonia meadows around Spetses and Spetsopoula through satellite imagery and data collected through field surveys. In 2023, the mapping of the meadows was extended to the island of Hydra.
Despite the fact that the area of meadows in Spetses is quite large, they are affected by fragmentation and degradation in multiple locations. The situation is similar in the strait between Spetses and Spetsopoula. Finally, in Spetsopoula, although no corresponding anthropogenic pressures were observed, necrosis was observed in many parts of the meadow, leaving the rhizomes of the Posidonia uncovered, which now harbour various species of seasonal vegetation.
In Hydra the distribution of meadows is quite limited and where Posidonia is present it is not coherent. On the beaches of Agios Nikolaos and Agios Georgios (Bisti) this may be the result of uncontrolled anchoring, as the areas are almost exclusively accessible from the sea and there is intense boat activity. In addition, at Molos beach the pier attracts higher activity of boats anchored in the bay.
The degradation of the Posidonia meadows in Spetses and the limited distribution of these in Hydra further intensify the need to protect and restore the remaining meadows in these areas!
Actions and targets for 2024
The following actions will be carried out in the context of this year's project:
To better understand the distribution of Posidonia in the Argosaronic Gulf, as well as, to make decisions for the future management and conservation of the area based on up-to-date scientific data and to raise awareness of this valuable habitat among local communities and the public, iSea will map the Posidonia meadows around the island of Poros and the Methana peninsula.
Find the project's reports below:
Informative Material:
Collaborators:
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Funders:
