Zakynthos Marine Park To Be Established

Plans for the creation of a marine park on Zakynthos island, which is home to the unique Caretta-caretta turtle species, have been formalized with the signing of a presidential decree. The legislation aims at protecting the endangered loggerhead turtle, which uses Mediterranean beaches as a nesting ground.

In 1994, the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Greek branch purchased 80 hectares of land on the island at the Sekania beach, which is considered one of the most important nesting grounds in the Mediterranean.

The decree is seen as a great reward for the efforts put in over several years by WWF Greece and other environmental organizations seeking to save the turtle from extinction in this part of the world.