Cyclades Posidonia Alert
Posidonia, Keeping Your Holidays Special
Posidonia Seagrass
Meet the Mediterranean ‘Amazon’ and help protect it!
Have you ever wondered, what are the dark patches in the sea or dried leaves on the beach?
However, It’s Posidonia, an underwater treasure! Home to 25% of the species in the Mediterranean, It purifies our crystal blue waters, gives us clean air, and protects our beaches.
Tourism activities can threaten Posidonia. Let’s see how we can protect it…
The Root of Sea Life
Posidonia seagrass is a plant (not a seaweed). It creates lush meadows throughout the coastal waters of the Mediterranean.
As a plant, it photosynthesises, releasing oxygen, and capturing more CO2 per m2 than terrestrial forests!
Posidonia meadows act as natural filters retaining the particles in the water, leaving it crystal clear.
What can you do to protect it?
Meet it up close and see what it has to say! Book a “Posidonia snorkeling experience” to immerse in and admire the submerged meadows.
Don’t pull out the plants.
Don’t litter anywhere near the sea.
Don't forget to book your "Posidonia Snorkelling Experience" in Santorini!
Explore Posidonia meadows up close and witness the dramatic underwater landscape of Santorini's caldera
Nursery of 1,000s of Marine Species
25% of the biodiversity of the Mediterranean lives in Posidonia.
Covered in microscopic life like algae, it feeds an entire food web including crustaceans, hundreds of fish, molluscs, octopus, sea turtles, and many more.
Growing extremely slowly, around 1 cm per year,
when Posidonia is torn by anchors, the damage is irreversible in our lifetime.
What can you do to protect it?
On a boat? ask your captain to throw the anchor and chain on sand, not on Posidonia meadows. Skippers, click to learn more and be part of the solution!
Even better, if you see an eco-mooring (specially designed floating moorings that do not disturb the sea floor), ask your captain to tie up there safely.
Try a sustainable fishing tourism experience with an authorised professional.
The Protector of Coasts
Like land plants, Posidonia loses its older ribbon-like leaves that currents often bring onto our beaches.
These piled up withered leaves are called Posidonia banquettes, they are an important shield against beach erosion.
They are perfectly clean, and full of nutrients that nurture the beach ecosystems.
What can you do to protect it?
If you see dry Posidonia on the beach, don’t ask for its removal. It is the equivalent of asking for the removal of fallen leaves in a forest.
You can touch it, play with it, lay your towel on it, like you do with the sand
Share a picture posing with Posidonia. Help us spread the word and celebrate this essential part of healthy Greek beaches.
Video Playlist
Check out our YouTube playlist for more about Posidonia!
Test your knowledge and learn more in a fun way
Want to meet the fish and marine life that one can find in Posidonia leaves?
Where are Posidonia meadows located and where are Posidonia banquettes?
Want to know the human activities that threaten Posidonia seagrass?
Want to recap which are the benefits that Posidonia meadows provide vs the ones Posidonia banquettes provide?
Want to test your knowledge and be the Guardian of Posidonia seagrass?
Want to see what a real Posidonia oceanica plant looks like?
Games
Flip over the cards to see the creatures that live in Posidonia.
Find all the matching pairs
Flip the cards to see MORE creatures that live in Posidonia.
Find all the matching pairs
Challenge a friend, or play solo!
Test your general knowledge about Posidonia; Its importance and threats.
You can challenge a friend, or play solo!
A few words about the program and easyJet holidays support
easyJet holidays has partnered with the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) to raise awareness and protect the vital Seagrass in Santorini.
Building on CPF’s Cyclades Posidonia Alert program that engages and informs local communities, easyJet holidays are supporting CPF to work with hotels, destination partners and customers enabling progress towards reducing the impacts of tourism on seagrass meadows.
Are you a skipper or boat owner? Find more resources here through the Cyclades Posidonia Alert skippers’ page.
Credit for audiovisual material and gratitude to:
Alexia Barakou, Yiannis Issaris/ Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Maria Salomidi/Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Yiannis Orfanos/Naxos Wildlife Protection Association, Dimitris Kambanos,/Dive in Action, LIFE S.E.POS.S.O., BARGAIN, Interreg Med – POSBEMED 2 Project, Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, Andromède Océanologie, Réseau MedPAN
