A short summary of the project
I'm raising £1,000 to be able to volunteer for 2 weeks for Wildlife Sense, a sea turtle research and
conservation organisation in Kefalonia, Greece.
About Wildlife Sense
Wildlife Sense is a sea turtle research & conservation organization based on the beautiful island of Kefalonia, Greece. Its mission is to protect endangered sea turtles and their natural habitats, offer a unique learning experience to the volunteers who join its efforts, and promote public awareness. Every year, sea turtles migrate to Kefalonia to forage and reproduce. Female turtles lay their eggs on the sandy beaches of the island. They make significant efforts to find the most suitable locations for their nests, but human and natural threats damage and destroy many eggs. The turtles themselves are regularly injured or killed by accidental boat strikes, entrapment in fishing gear, or after swallowing plastics. These threats push the sea turtles of Kefalonia closer to the brink of extinction.
As part of the team, the volunteers will survey the beaches of Kefalonia to find and protect sea turtle nests. Our survey teams cycle to the beaches in the early morning, walk along the golden sand looking for fresh turtle nests, then then mark, measure, and protect all nests that were laid during the previous night. The primary goal is to protect sea turtle nests against accidental damage and monitor their progress throughout incubation to the hatching stage. As the young turtles hatch, we do our best to protect them from light pollution and assure they can safely crawl to the sea. After all healthy hatchlings have left the nests, you will conduct nest inventories to assess the fate of every egg and the hatching success of each nest. This helps us continuously improve our conservation methods and maximize the reproductive success of Kefalonia's sea turtle population.Light pollution and storms are the two primary threats to sea turtle nests in Kefalonia. An important part of your field work will comprise of environmental studies to quantify light pollution and determine its source, and measuring the continuous changes of the nesting beaches and the distance of the water from nests. With this data, our team will be able to assess the risk to each nest and take timely actions to prevent any harm.
About Me
My name is Katja, and I am studying Business Analytics at the University of Essex.
I have always been interested in nature and especially in wildlife. I would love to take the opportunity to volunteer for Wildlife Sense and help to protect sea turtles.
Funds
I will be fundraising for a total of £1,000. This would include:
- Programme fee (accommodation/food etc.) : £550
- Flights and transport (bus/ ferry etc.): £450
Additional donations will be used to cover personal expenses (living costs/ clothes etc.).
More Information
If you wish to find out more about the organisation I will be volunteering for, please click on the following link:
https://wildlifesense.com/en/kefalonia/
