Arkoudi

Arkoudi is a small uninhabited island of less than 4.3 km² and 9.7 km of coastline, located in the Inner Ionian Archipelago, an area of high ecological value due to the presence of a significant number of marine megafauna species, as well as the existence of extensive Posidonia seagrass meadows. In parallel to its unique biodiversity and enormous seascape, the Inner Ionian Archipelago, is a popular sailing destination. As a results, uncontrolled anchoring by leisure boats poses severe threats to the meadows including Posidonia that surrounds Arkoudi islet.

During 2023 iSea mapped the key pressures faced by the meadows in the Inner Ionian Archipelago enriching previous studies that identified these area as among the most impacted Natura2000 sites in Greece, particularly due to anchoring pressure. Building on these results, biodiversity biomass assessments, meadow mapping and the health assessment of Posidonia oceanica and anchoring-pressure studies followed and demonstrated clear evidence of meadows degradation due to the large number of boats gathered around Arkoudi islet that pose a dramatic impact on the meadows through the direct removal of shoots caused by anchoring.

To address this, iSea and the Mediterranean Sea and Coast Foundation (MEDSEA Foundation) launched the “Seagrass Restoration Project in Greece: Inner Ionian Archipelago”. This three-year initiative aims to restore P. oceanica meadows and recover the vital ecosystem services they provide, including carbon sequestration and fisheries support, through a local pilot active restoration site. In addition, it directly contributes to Greece's National Restoration Plan under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which targets the recovery of at least 20% of Europe's marine and coastal ecosystems by 2030, while representing an integral part of a broader strategy for P. oceanica restoration across the Mediterranean.