It engages in the collection and processing of ecological data on marine habitats, as well as in educational and awareness-raising actions. Local studies with partner organizations, such as the University of the Aegean, and the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, demonstrate rapid degradation, caused by a combination of factors, such as: overfishing, climate change and overconsumption.
The grant pertains to support for the project “Female Odyssey”, a multidisciplinary sailing mission in the Northern Dodecanese, to Kalymnos, Kos, Nisyros, Leros and Patmos. It consists of a series of actions centred on research, marine literacy, and raising the awareness of island residents on issues pertaining to visibility, inclusion, and marine protection. The affluence of island and coastal settlements is directly dependent on a healthy marine environment. The springboard for “Female Odyssey” is the island of Kalymnos and the Dodecanese, where sponge diving flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, resulting in economic and social development.
The sailing boat “Fusion”, a Beneteau Oceanis 39.3, will become the floating laboratory and transport for the interdisciplinary mission. It will be crewed by women: captain, businesswoman, diver, oceanographer, biologist, historian and archaeologist. Each one with the mission to convey the beauties and difficulties of her profession, her experience in the field and her love for the sea. On their research circuit, they will collect data, following non-destructive sampling protocols, both by the method of autonomous diving and by recording visual and photographic data from fishermen, local women’s associations and other marine professionals.
The estimated number of total beneficiaries over the course of the grant is 750 people.
The project is implemented through a grant by the Athina I. Martinou Foundation, as part of the “Points of Support” program, in the area: “Social Innovation in Small Local Seaside Communities”.