Project Life
Turtle Conservation on the Greek Island of Zakynthos

During the summer months volunteers will work between 8 and 12 hours per day. This is split into either 3 or 4 hour shifts, depending on the time of the season and the number of volunteers available.

Monitoring work includes early beach surveys (6am-8am roughly) and night surveys (11pm -3:30am late May until early August). Night surveys are very sensitive night patrols to find nesting females and give them identity tags and take measurements.

Nest excavations (half an hour per nest from August until October) involve digging up very old eggs to break them open and investigate hatching success.

Public awareness duties include beach patrols (9-12, 12-3, 3-6, or two four-hour shifts). This involves walking up and down the beach or standing at the entrance telling tourists how to behave on the beach. This can be a hot, long process. Morning surveys involve locating and protecting new nests.

Slide show presentations are given in hotels in the evening, usually lasting about two hours. Volunteers will also accompany tourists on sailing boat day trips, providing them with vital information. Kiosk/shop duty (from 9-6 in two or three shifts) involves informing tourists and selling merchandise to raise funds.

As well as all this, the team will help with the fundraising for the Rehabilitation Centre and all sorts of ideas are being planned to push this forward: travelling around the island promoting the project, educating local children and gaining local support by promoting it as a year-round attraction.

Volunteers get a free day for every ten worked. They are expected to work amongst themselves to keep the apartments clean and do cooking duties if food isn’t being cooked for them that day.