Latest news with #AegeanRebreath
Deccan Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Deccan Herald
May 28, 2025: Best photos from around the world
A still image from a video released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows Russia's minesweeper Aleksandr Obukhov during what it said to be naval drills in the Baltic Sea. Credit: Reuters Photo Volunteer divers of the environmental group Aegean Rebreath gather waste from the bottom of the seabed, at the port of Votsi, on the island of Alonissos, Greece. Credit: Reuters Photo A general view shows destruction in North Gaza, as seen from Israel. Credit: Reuters Photo A drone view shows a volunteer of the environmental group Aegean Rebreath arranging waste gathered from the bottom of the seabed of the port of Votsi, on the island of Alonissos, Greece. Credit: Reuters Photo A boy rides a bicycle as dark clouds gather in the sky, in Nadia, West Bengal. Credit: PTI Photo Clouds gather in the evening sky as some shops reopen, at a market at Pahalgam, Anantnag district, J&K. Credit: PTI Photo
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Greece's eco divers battle litter in Europe's largest marine park
ALONISSOS (Greece), May 28 — Off the Greek island of Alonissos in the eastern Aegean Sea, volunteer divers grab decaying plastic bottles, a tyre and a rusted anchor chain from the seabed and place them in a trash bag as part of an EU-funded cleanup to protect marine life. The items recovered off Alonissos — a favourite tourist spot for its green-blue waters, and Europe's largest protected marine park — represent just a tiny part of the tens of thousands of tons of waste that litter the Mediterranean Sea every year. The park, set up off Alonissos in the early 1990s, is home to one of the world's last remaining colonies of the Monk seal, and a refuge for over 300 fish species, dolphins and sea turtles. Its existence has made both locals and tourists increasingly aware of the risks of marine pollution, said Theodora Francis, 31, one of the divers who joined the two-day initiative. 'We visited five, four areas to check whether we find rubbish in those areas,' Francis said. 'In most of those areas we didn't... but in some areas we did.' She said the main port of Votsi, where most tourism and fishing occurs, was the site of most litter. A volunteer of the environmental group Aegean Rebreath sorts through waste gathered from the bottom of the seabed of the port of Votsi, on the island of Alonissos, Greece, May 25, 2025. To protect its coastal biodiversity, Greece has promised to create another two marine parks in the Aegean and the Ionian Sea in the west, part of 21 initiatives worth €780 million (RM3.7 billion). It has legislated the expansion of marine protected areas to 30 per cent of its territorial waters by 2030, and has submitted plans to the EU setting out how it will organise fishing, tourism and offshore energy. 'People all over the globe should know that we have the strength to change everything. We really believe in the individual responsibility of people, we invest in this,' said George Sarelakos, 46, president of the Greece-based agency which organised the cleanup, Aegean Rebreath. For Francis, Alonissos can be a model for the protection of the seas. 'If every island had the same interest in taking care of their environment, we would have the Alonissos situation in many more islands.' — Reuters
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Divers cleaning up seabed off Greece's Alonissos island raise alarm over marine pollution
Off the Greek island of Alonissos in the eastern Aegean Sea, volunteer divers grab decaying plastic bottles, a tyre and a rusted anchor chain from the seabed and place them in a trash bag as part of an EU-funded cleanup to protect marine life. The items recovered at Alonissos, a favourite tourist spot for its green-blue waters and Europe's largest protected marine park, represent a tiny part of the tens of thousands of tons of waste that litter the Mediterranean Sea every year. The park, set up off Alonissos in the early 1990s, is home to one of the world's last remaining colonies of the Monk seal, and a refuge for more than 300 fish species, dolphins and sea turtles. Its existence has made locals and tourists increasingly aware of the risks of marine pollution, said Theodora Francis, 31, a diver who joined the two-day initiative. "We visited about five areas to check whether we would find rubbish," Francis said. "In most areas we didn't but in some we did." She said the main port of Votsi, where most tourism and fishing occurs, was the site of most litter. To protect its coastal biodiversity, Greece has promised to create another two marine parks in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea in the west, part of 21 initiatives worth €780m (R15.8bn). It has legislated the expansion of marine protected areas to 30% of its territorial waters by 2030, and has submitted plans to the EU setting out how it will organise fishing, tourism and offshore energy. "People all over the globe should know we have the strength to change everything. We believe in the individual responsibility of people, we invest in this," said George Sarelakos, 46, president of the Greece-based agency which organised the cleanup, Aegean Rebreath. For Francis, Alonissos can be a model for the protection of the seas. "If every island had the same interest in taking care of their environment, we would have the Alonissos situation in many more islands."
