Zakynthos Turtle Center

Zakynthos Turtle Center is a non-governmental organisation based in Vasilikos, Greece working on nature & wildlife conservation, environment & climate, animal welfare.

The Zante Turtle Center, also called the Zante Sea Turtle Rescue & Information Center or Mediterranean Marine Life Center, is a non-governmental organisation based at Gerakas Beach in Vasilikos on the island of Zakynthos, Greece. It works to protect the endangered Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), which nests on Zakynthos's beaches. Its activities include daily nesting surveys on Gerakas Beach, cleaning and monitoring the beach during the nesting season, litter picks, rescuing tortoises and terrapins, running a recycling centre, and developing protective policies against over-tourism. Its free information centre, open to visitors, uses displays and guided morning surveys to educate people on sea turtle threats and how to visit beaches responsibly. The organisation developed a sand saver shower system to address beach erosion, as it states that about 60% of the sand on Gerakas Beach has been lost to tourism. It is raising funds to complete a sea turtle rescue facility so that it can rescue, rehabilitate and release injured turtles. Its work is supported mainly by donations and volunteers and interns.