On Marathonisi beach, Nikoletta Sidiropoulou and her colleagues from the Greek Sea Turtle Protection Society (Archelon) are crowded together, cautiously digging in the sand. They eventually locate what they're looking for: a turtle nest with up to 100 eggs.
"It's quite exciting," Sidiropoulou admits.
Endangered loggerhead sea turtles, also known as Caretta Caretta, lay their eggs on the Mediterranean island of Zakynthos, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations, with about 1 million visitors each year, including many British tourists.
Endangered Sea Turtles
Another beach on the Greek island of Zakynthos serves as an example of how to proceed: The beach of Sekania boasts the largest number of loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean. It is completely protected, with all people barred from entering.
Sidiropoulou feels that tourism and healthy ecosystems can coexist and has suggested to local officials that a good first step would be to research the number of boats that Laganas Bay can handle. Still, she does not anticipate the request to be granted.
"To tell you the truth, we usually don't receive a response," she adds. "Zakynthos is a lovely island, but we want visitors to respect nature and conserve the animals that have come here for millions of years to lay their eggs," she adds.
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