The National Marine Park of Zakynthos () founded in 1999, is a national park located in

Laganas Laganas () is a village and a former municipality on the island of Zakynthos, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zakynthos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit Laganas co ...

bay, in

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...

island,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The park, part of the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

ecological network, covers an area of and is the habitat of the

loggerhead sea turtle The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of sea turtle, oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the Family (biology), family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around ...

(''Caretta caretta''). It is the first national park established for the protection of

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

s in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

Geography

Zakynthos Marine Park encompasses the marine area of the Bay of Laganas, on the southern shores of the island of Zakynthos, and hosts one of the most important sea turtle nesting beaches in the

. The nesting habitat in the bay comprises six discrete beaches: Gerakas, Daphni, Sekania, Kalamaki, E. Laganas and Marathonissi islet, totalling about in length, of which Sekania is rated amongst the world's highest loggerhead nesting concentrations. Apart from the nesting areas the park encompasses the wetland of Keri Lake and the two small islands of Strofadia, which are located south from the island of Zakynthos. The

marine park A marine park is a designated park consisting of an area of sea (or lake) set aside to achieve ecological sustainability, promote marine awareness and understanding, enable marine recreational activities, and provide benefits for Indigenous peo ...

is composed of three marine zones (A, B, C) in the Bay of Laganas, in addition to the strictly protected nesting areas, as well as the terrestrial and peripheral zone. For the protection of the ecosystem, fishing activities are strictly prohibited inside each of the marine zones.

Biology

The area is home to the endangered

(''Caretta caretta''), which is considered one of the oldest forms of life on planet. The marine park hosts annually 900 to 2,000 nests, which represents an average of eighty percent of the nest total of Mediterranean loggerhead population. The loggerhead spends most of its life at sea, but females lay their eggs on Laganas bay at night from May to August. Furthermore, the area is characterised by a variety of habitats of interest including

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

, ''

Posidonia oceanica ''Posidonia oceanica'', commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free ...

'' beds, the critically endangered sea daffodil (''Pancratium maritimum''), submerged

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

s, as well as hundreds of species of flora and fauna, some of which are of great importance. A resident population of the critically endangered species of

monk seal Monk seals are earless seals of the tribe Monachini. They are the only earless seals found in tropical climates. The two genera of monk seals, ''Monachus'' and ''Neomonachus'', comprise three species: the Mediterranean monk seal, ''Monachus monac ...

, ''

Monachus monachus The Mediterranean monk seal (''Monachus monachus'') is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. , it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Ae ...

'' is present at the west coast of Zakynthos.Zante National Marine Park of Zakynthos

Park management

The recent rapid development of the local tourism industry is seen as a potential threat for the protected area's existence. Moreover, the annual migration of the loggerhead sea turtle to their nesting grounds has become increasingly risky due to the obstacles encountered on beaches. In addition speedboats, in violation of the boating ban off nesting beaches are another factor that endangered the turtles' lives. For this reason the National Marine Park of Zakynthos was established, in December 1999, aiming at the protection and the preservation of ''Caretta caretta'' and other species such as the Mediterranean monk seal ''Monachus monachus'', as well as several other important species of animals, birds, amphibians and flora found in this area. Furthermore, in order to achieve the objective of active public participation, a bottom-up approach was adopted for the implementation of actions dealing with monitoring and surveillance, accreditation, certification and collaboration with local stakeholders. This approach contributed to the formulation of a common vision for the long term management of the natural as well as economic parameters. Moreover, the elaboration of a code of conduct for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

activities aims to harmonize tourism strategy with sustaining the

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and the cultural authenticity of area. Beyond the general principles, specific codes of conduct were elaborated which concern sightseeing, general awareness activities, rambling activities and marine excursions.

References

{{authority control National parks of Greece Protected areas established in 1999 Zakynthos Marine parks of Greece Tourist attractions in the Ionian Islands (region) Geography of the Ionian Islands (region) Natura 2000 in Greece

Geography

Biology

Park management

See also

References