Summer  Field  Courses  2006
Marine Mammals and their Marine Environment - Biology, Conservation &
Management

Archipelagos Institute, Patmos - Aegean Sea, Greece

15-24  July
19-28  August
16-25  September

Location: Island of Patmos, Northern Dodecanese

Lecturers

Frank Veit, PhD - Free University of Berlin, Marine Mammal Research
Co-ordinator
Anastasia Miliou, PhD cand. - Scientific Director of Archipelagos Institute
Catriona Lynch, MSc - Archipelagos Institute, Coastal Zone Manager & GIS
Expert

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara (guest lecturer in the first two courses)

Topics covered in the field course

1. Biology and conservation of marine mammals of the Aegean Sea.
2. Visual survey methods to assess the abundance of cetacean populations.
3. Passive acoustics: a modern tool to study cetacean behaviour, habitat
characteristics and estimating cetacean abundance.
4. First aid to marine mammals & turtles.
5. Coastal ecosystems.
6. Fish fauna of the Eastern Aegean Sea: biology and conservation.
7. Algae and invertebrate biodiversity of the Eastern Aegean Sea.
8. Application of GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis in marine
biodiversity studies.
9. Fisheries: Socio-economical importance and impact on marine ecosystems.
10.  Management of marine & island ecosystems.

Archipelagos, Institute of Marine & Environmental Research of the Aegean
Sea, announces its field courses for the summer of 2006, held on the island
of Patmos, Northern Dodecanese. These ten-day courses present an integrated
perspective by introducing active areas of research in studying the marine
biodiversity, with a special emphasis on the marine mammal populations of
the Aegean Sea. Participants of the course will gain from the expertise and
hands-on experience during the course. Combined with informational seminars
and lectures, they will be trained during this field and
laboratory-intensive course in ecologically-relevant research techniques,
including bioacoustics, line-transect studies of the ecology of coastal
ecosystems for different target species, passive acoustic monitoring,
behavioural sampling, acquisition and application of GIS databases with
demonstrational computer workshops, and photo-identification of cetacean
species in mark-recapture analysis.

The course content is highly applied, as is the daily work of the
Archipelagos Institute, which aims at developing sustainable management
concepts for the natural wealth of the Aegean Sea in co-operation with the
local community. The waters around the islands of the Northern Dodecanese
are home to an abundance of habitats (e.g. Posidonia seagrass-beds) and
marine species, many of which are particularly rare and under international
protected status, as for example a large population of short-beaked common
dolphins (Delphinus delphis), the last known in the entire eastern
Mediterranean Sea, or the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), with
a world wide population of only a few hundred individuals one of the most
endangered mammal species altogether. In total six species of marine
mammals inhabit the waters of the area. Beside the two former mentioned
marine
mammals, there are bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Risso's
dolphins (Grampus griseus), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), sperm
whales (Physeter macrocephalus), and Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius
cavirostris).

The design of the course is aimed at students and graduates of marine and
environmental sciences, as well as all related fields. Course language is
English. Field work will be partly done during boat-based surveys and
partly during snorkelling-based surveys. Boat surveys depend on weather
conditions
and might start very early in the morning, when observational conditions are
usually best.

The price for the course is Euro 950, including accommodation, half board
meals (breakfast and lunch), boat trips, and all other day activities.


For more information about the course and application details, please visit
the homepage of Archipelagos at www.archipelago.gr
or contact: [log in to unmask]


About Archipelagos

The non-profit environmental organisation Archipelagos conducts for over
five years the first comprehensive study on the biodiversity of the marine
and terrestrial island ecosystems in Greek waters, focussing on the
application of established as well as innovative research techniques in
assessing and modelling environmental data. A further emphasis of the
organisation's activities is the information exchange with local
communities, including educational programs, and a close collaboration with
national and international institutions. Based on these efforts, the
creation of the 'National Park of the North Dodecanese Islands and Islets'
is being prepared together with Greek governmental bodies, its
establishment being planned for the near future. This national park, which
will
constitute one of the largest marine parks of the Mediterranean, will
encompass over
50 islands and islets of the North Dodecanese and the surrounding waters.
More
information and an extended photo archive can be found on the Web page of
Archipelagos

www.archipelago.gr



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Anastasia Miliou
Hydrobiologist- Scientific Director
Archipelagos Aigaiou
Institute of Marine & Environmental Research of the Aegean Sea

P.O. Box 1, Rahes 83301, Ikaria, Greece

tel ++30 22750 41673
mob. ++30 6974744949

[log in to unmask]
www.archipelago.gr