Summer Field Courses 2006 on 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 cantact: frank@archipelago.gr 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