Year: 2019

On the weekend of March 2-3, masks were made in collaboration with the Andrion Club in Chora and the Parent and guardian club of the primary school of Gavrio. In total, 60 children participated, learned about the marine species for which the project implements actions on Andros Island. They masked into Audouin’s Gulls, Mediterranean Shags and Mediterranean Monk Seals, imitated their voices and painted their islets, as they would like them to be. Apart from nests, trees, caves and beaches, on their islets there was plenty of food, fish and octopuses, but also sea horses, sea urchins and mermaids. For the needs of the workshops, educational material for the Mediterranean Monk Seal of MOm, for seabirds of the Hellenic Ornithological Society and of the LIFE SIMARINE-NATURA project was utilized. Workshop…

The weekend 2-3 March 2019, the project team in collaboration with the Andrion Club and the Parent and guardian club of the primary school of Gavrio, organizes mask making workshops at Chora of Andros and Gavrio. In the workshop, the children will make masks and will be informed by special scientists about the Mediterranean monk seal and the seabirds of Andros.    

Representatives of the LIFE Andros Park project participated in the first meeting with stakeholders held by the newly established Management Body of the Protected Areas of Cyclades on the 2nd of February in Athens. The meeting was one of the Management Body’s first moves, highlighting its intention for collaboration with stakeholders that are already active in the protection and management of the Natura 2000 sites of Cyclades. The meeting was attended by members of the Management Body’s Board, representatives of stakeholders active in the protection of the environment and the implementation of actions and projects within protected areas of Cyclades, most of which were or are involved in the implementation of LIFE projects in Cyclades, as well as by representative of the team that will undertake the elaboration of the…

In 18 January 2019, in the framework of the project LIFE Andros Park, the local team visited the beach of Vori, in order to clean the beach of plastics and other marine debris, for the improvement of the habitat of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, the Mediterranean Shag and the Audouin’s Gull, as well as for the systematic recording of plastic and microplastic found at coasts of Andros island. Plastics and other waste debris of estimated weight of about 250 kg, were removed from the beach. Furthermore, sampling for the estimation of the quantities of plastic and microplastic at the beach carried out. The cleaning of selected beaches and recording of plastics and microplastics will continues throughout the project.

Researchers of MOm visited all the marine caves, shelters of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, at the project area in January. They checked the automated infrared cameras that have been installed and collected the necessary scientific data. The field work was carried out with the coordinated action of the MOm and the Municipality of Andros teams, for whose needs the Municipality's vessel "Calypso" was used. The important collected data are already being analysed, in order to be used for the completion of the report on the status of the Mediterranean Monk Seal’s habitat in the broader area of Andros Island.

On 9th of December, a meeting with residents and land owners was held in the area of Vori, in order to inform them on the activities that will take place at the riparian-alluvial alder forests found at Vori and Lefka, following the previous information meeting held in Arni in July. A detailed discussion and exchange of views, on how the planned interventions are going to be implemented - with the involvement of residents and local stakeholders - was carried out, in order to maximize the expected benefits and the positive impacts of the project.