A New Chapter in the Greek Aegean Islands
In its second year, our Partnership for Nature with Conservation Collective now expands into the Mediterranean, helping island communities in Greece rescue, rehabilitate and return sea turtles, monk seals, dolphins and migrating birds to the wild.
Building on the momentum of our continued support in Sri Lanka, Scott Dunn is proud to support to Aegean Care for Wildlife, a project led by Aegean-Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF), a member of Conservation Collective. Its ambition is simple: when wildlife is found injured or exhausted on an island shore, there should be someone nearby who knows exactly what to do.
The Challenge: Help Is Often an Island Away
The Aegean is one of the Mediterranean's great natural treasures, playing host to sea turtles, dolphins, and mediterranean monk seals, among the rarest seals on Earth. Each spring and autumn, it also becomes a vital stopover for migrating birds, such as storks, flamingos, falcons and countless smaller species that cross between Africa and Europe.
But life there is also increasingly precarious. Fishing nets, boat strikes, plastic and noise pollution, and ever hotter summers mean that more animals than ever are found stranded, entangled or too exhausted to go on (a study in 2024 highlighted the Aegean as a hotspot for "human-related strandings"). Sadly, specialist hospitals and rescue teams are few and far between. On the most remote islands, the difference between life and death often comes down to whether a local fisherman, port officer or passer-by knows how to keep an animal calm and safe until help arrives.
About the Project: Aegean Care for Wildlife
Since 2023, the Aegean Care for Wildlife programme has been creating a network of trained local first responders throughout the region who can give wildlife first aid and arrange specialist care.
Training is delivered alongside CPF’s local partners Naxos Wildlife Protection, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal (MoM), ARION and Alkioni and focuses on rescue and first aid techniques, and the delivery of the animals to specialised rehabilitation centres. Once viable after recovery, animals are released back into the wild.
To date, the programme has been active in five islands across the Cyclades, enabling more than 400 rescue operations, more than 200 wildlife releases and has run more than 50 training workshops for members of the local community. Now, thanks to funding from Scott Dunn, the network will for the first time reach Crete, Kythnos and Kos, while solidifying its presence in Naxos and Paros.
We are proud to extend our Partnership for Nature to the Mediterranean. The Greek islands our guests love to explore are the islands this work protects. Together we can support key local initiatives that mean our work and your journey can give back to the ecosystems and the people that support them.
About Aegean-Cyclades Preservation Fund
Established in 2017, Aegean-Cyclades Preservation Fund is a member of Conservation Collective dedicated to protecting the natural environment and heritage of the Cyclades and, increasingly, the wider Aegean. Rather than working alone, it brings together the region's leading specialists and funds the most effective local groups, so that support reaches the people closest to the islands' wildlife.
Anni Mitropoulou
Executive Director of Aegean-Cyclades Preservation Fund
“On behalf of Aegean-Cyclades Preservation Fund, I would like to warmly thank Scott Dunn and all its employees for supporting Aegean Care for Wildlife through the partnership with Conservation Collective. Your support helps us equip local communities across the Aegean islands with the knowledge and skills to respond when a wild animal needs help. Thank you for being part of this effort and for helping us protect the wildlife of the Aegean.”
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