marine protection
Project Xenios
Our commitment to the sea
Since the beginning of 2020 we have observed a sharp increase in sea turtle sightings in Cyprus, around the holiday region of Ayia Napa and Protaras. Green sea turtles and loggerhead turtles have several nesting sites on the island. In the tourist areas, however, the turtles are exposed to many dangers. Unfortunately we also had to make a sad discovery on one of our dives; a dead sea turtle entangled in fishing lines. For this reason, we want to actively do something to protect it.
​
​
Project Xenios
We founded the Xenios project for this purpose. Our goal is to protect and preserve the Mediterranean Sea around Cyprus and its marine life. We want to make the sea turtle feeding grounds around Cyprus safer.
We work with the following 3 pillars:
ghost nets and marine debris
In April 2022 we would like to start removing ghost nets and marine debris so that no living creatures can get caught in them.
Turtle Database
We are creating a database about the local turtles to analyze and understand the impact of tourism.
educational work
People often do not behave correctly when handling sea turtles. We enlighten people directly on site.
Turtles database
​
We already have some turtles in our database. They are analyzed based on their pattern on the side of the head. The pattern is unique to each turtle, comparable to a fingerprint. So we can easily recognize them from a photo.
financing
The project is partly financed via the online shop. The goal is to be able to cover all administrative and personnel costs with the income. This allows us to invest 100% of tips and support money into the project and not just a small part of it. Thus, every order actively contributes to the protection of sea turtles in Cyprus.
