The Aegean is a sea full of islands, thousands of them, and each one is an evolutionary experiment. Isolation on a small island does peculiar things to species, and the eastern Mediterranean holds endemic plants, lizards, and snails in remarkable concentration. The landscape is limestone and olive and pine, shaped by grazing and fire and human hands for longer than almost anywhere else on Earth.
The Mediterranean monk seal is the emblem and the warning: one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, reduced to a few hundred animals, holding on in the sea caves of remote Greek and Turkish coasts. The sea itself is warming and filling with species arriving through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea, a biological invasion that is remaking the ecosystem faster than anyone can catalogue it.
The organizations here protect the monk seal and the sea turtles that nest on beaches now crowded with tourists, defend the remaining wetlands on a coast under intense development pressure, and confront a warming, acidifying, increasingly foreign sea. They work in a region where the economy runs on the coast that conservation must protect.
Environmental Organizations in This Bioregion
22 organizations working across this landscape.
Aegean Rebreath
Aegean Rebreath is a 1% for the Planet nature nonprofit partner associated with toxics & pollution. Based in Athens, Greece, it is included in the IdealLocation.org ...
ARCHELON Τhe Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece
ARCHELON designs and implements projects and actions for the conservation of sea turtles and their habitats, combining scientific work with volunteering service and...
BirdLife Cyprus
Founded in 2003, BirdLife Cyprus is the most active non-governmental, non-profit nature conservation organisation in Cyprus. Through science, advocacy, education an...
BLUECYCLE CIRCULAR
BlueCycle implements a circular economy model, focusing on the recycling of marine plastic waste, especially of discarded fishing and shipping equipment.
Ecogenia
Our mission is to mobilize youth through civic service to accelerate sustainable impact for Greece.
Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee
The primary objective of the Foundation is to formulate and implement an action plan for the conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee, overseeing its coordination and e...
HELMEPA
41 years of voluntary action for the protection of the marine environment
Ionian Environment Foundation
Working to protect, sustain and restore the natural environment of the Ionian Islands and Sea.
KES RESEARCH CENTRE
KES RESEARCH CENTRE (KESRC), a nonprofit research organization devoted to environmental sustainability and quality life improvement in Cyprus and beyond
Malta Environment Foundation
The Malta Environment Foundation works to regenerate Malta’s land, sea, and wildlife by empowering communities, supporting impactful initiatives, and driving collabo...
New Agriculture New Generation
NANG is a catalyst for innovation in the Agrifood ecosystem in Greece. It enables empowerment of youth by creating opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship ...
RESTIA
Restia's mission is to provide an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution to microplastics and oil pollution by collecting human and animal hair to produce...
Terra Cypria
Terra Cypria works for a sustainable Cyprus through advocacy, environmental education and through programmes that promote conservation, environmental protection and...
The Bee Camp
The Bee Camp is the first οrganization in Greece working on the protection of the bees and other pollinators. Through education, awareness raising and conservati...
Turquoise Coast Environment Fund - Turkey
The Turquoise Coast Environment Fund (TCEF) aims to protect, restore, and regenerate the natural beauty, biodiversity and ecosystems of the exceptional marine and co...
UNICEF Turkish National Committee
UNICEF protects and prepares children and young people in the climate crisis by raising awareness, securing action and supporting children and youth engagement.
UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY
Laboratory of Applied Apiculture, aiming to research and educate.
Vomvos Ecobuzz
VOMVOS Ecobuzz is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of pollinators and biodiversity through education, advocacy, and environmental action. O