On the island of Zakynthos (Greece), there has been
a specific threat from the close proximity of the main runway to key
nesting beaches for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle - Caretta caretta.
This section highlights this threat and reveals some of the conflicts
and solutions that have emerged as a result.
Zakynthos
airport is located in the south of the island and the end of the runway
is within 1 kilometre of the key nesting beaches of Kalamaki and Laganas.
The beaches near this flight path account for approximately 20% of
the total nests in Laganas Bay, one of the most important shores for
nesting Caretta caretta in the Mediteranean. ( Average
number of nests for 1984-90 season in Laganas Bay was 1269 -
data from Margaritoulis & Arapis))
The following map shows
the location of the airport and the close vicinity of nesting beaches.
Every year nearly 300,000
tourists visit the island, the vast majority arriving by air from
all over Europe. There are many flights per day, all landing at this
airport ( during July 1996, 313 flights arrived at the airport, an
average of 10 flights per day and 45,876 tourists for the month -
source MEDASSET,1996).
The jets fly very low over the beach after an approach across Laganas
Bay. On some days they will approach from the northern part of the
island, although this is not a common event. The following photographs
were taken in 1993, whilst standing at the end of the runway, which
is located less than 1 kilometre from nesting beaches.
View of main runway - Zakynthos airport.
Jet landing at Zakynthos airport.
Eyewitness account: Miles Smith (July 1993)
" We waded out until
the water almost covered our shoulders. We could see loggerheads about
50m away, as their heads 'bobbed' up for air. In the distance far
out over the bay, we could see an approaching jet. It banked and came
directly towards us. As it approached, the roar steadily increased
and it passed directly over our heads: it was so close you could easily
make out the details of the fuselage and the under-carriage. We could
also feel the vibrations as it passed through the water into our bodies.
As the jet passed, there was a high whistle form the plane's jet-stream.
A few minutes later ,you could hear the 'reverse' engine roar as the
aeroplane slowed itself for a safe landing and deliver yet more tourists
for a two week holiday on the island. "
The present situation:
A study in 1990 by the
National Aviation Service on the impacts of the airport on nesting
sea turtles showed clearly that significant disturbance occurred to
nesting loggerheads. The greatest disturbance would occur at night
and cause females to return to the sea without successful laying.
In 1990, the airport of
Zakynthos banned flights between 22:00 and 5:00. In 1996, Olympic
Airways rescheduled its last daily flight from Zakynthos to Athens,
in order to avoid breaching of the ban.
An
aircraft on final approach to Zakynthos airport.
To hear the sound
of the jet flying over the nesting beach - click on the overhead plane.
Conflict of interests
(June 20 1995) :
The
headline of an article in the 'Times' newspaper, on 20th June 1995,
highlighting the problem.
Extract from the Times article:
British toursists bound
for Greece began their holiday a day late after an airport closed
to allow a colony of rare turtles to lay their eggs.
A flight from Manchester
to the Ionian Island of Zakynthos was delayed overnight to spare endangered
loggerhead turtles the trauma of aircraft landing next to their nesting
beach. The turtles lay only at night and are susceptible to noise
and light.
The 200 Britons had
expected to leave Manchester on Sunday afternoon but a technical fault
delayed them for an hour. After spending the night at Hotels, passengers
left nine hours behind schedule when Zakynthos airport reopened at
6am.
Nick Humphries, of
the tour operator All Leisure, said: "The airport closes from 7pm
until the early morning during the nesting season and our aircraft
would not have got there before 7pm. It would probably have been diverted
to the Greek mainland and the decision was taken to wait. It is proving
a difficult problem for us. "
The arrival of summer
package tourists each year conicides with the nesting and hatching
season of the loggerhead. Tourist numbers have risen sharply the past
five years and 40 per cent of the 300,000 tourists that visit the
island are British.
(The article continues
with a discussion of illegal buildings which threaten nesting turtles)
Another
headline on the same day, but this time in the Daily Mail.
Extract from the Daily
Mail article:
As an excuse for lateness
it beats British Rail's leaves on the line.
But Holidaymakers
waiting to fly out from Manchester Airport were less than amused to
hear that their plane had been delayed to allow turtles to breed in
peace......................
The plane finally
took off yesterday, nine hours behind schedule. A spokesman for the
All Leisure airline said: "The turtles are an endangered species and
Zante airport closes from 7pm until the early hours during the breeding
season. We are trying to reschedule our take-off times so everyone
is happy."
Comment
The brief and trivial
nature of the report on the Airport delay of tourists to Zakynthos
implies that 200 British tourists were unecessarily discomfited because
of the activities of a small group of interfering conservationists
on behalf of an important colony of Mediterranean turtles whose protection
is opposed by all the Greeks on the island.
The plane was late in
leaving because of reasons nothing to do with marine turtles. This
then meant that the plane would leave too late to arrive within the
limits of the night time flying ban.
In reality the night flying
ban that caused the delay is part of a well-integrated set of laws,
set by the Greek Government and financially supported by the European
Union, that seeks to protect the turtle and its breeding sites. There
is a total exclusion order for these beaches from dusk to dawn. Unfortunately
these laws have been poorly implemented.
There is, or course, strong
opposition from some local people, mostly small landowners and particularly
those making a living from beach activities. However, there is also
strong support for conservation of the Loggerhead turtle both in Greece
and on the Island. Among the groups conerned are the Sea Turtle Protection
Society of Greece (STPS), MEDASSET (Mediterranean Association to Save
the Sea Turtles) Greece and UK, WWF (Greece), Greenpeace (Greece),
The Zakynthos Ecological Movement and the the Zakynthos Hotel Owners
Association (ETAZ).
All these groups support
the Government's legislation and its plans for a Marine National Park.
A recent survey carried out in 1995 by the STPS suggested that 90%
of visiting tourists supported the idea of a National Marine Park
and 86% were willing to pay a surcharge towards the upkeep of the
Marine Park.
