Formal Protection Proposal for the Marine Area of Liri (Greece)

Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd has submitted a formal scientific proposal to the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy for the protection of the coastal marine area of Liri, South East Pelion, based on field data collected since 2023, complemented by records from BiodiversityGR covering 2018 to 2022.

​🌎 The sea caves along the coastline are a confirmed birthing and pupping site for Monachus monachus (Mediterranean Monk Seal), one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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🏺 The area is also the only officially recorded breeding ground for the common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca in south-eastern Greece, documented through our ongoing elasmobranch research programme.

Despite its ecological significance, the area is under repeated pressure from professional and recreational fishermen who set nets directly adjacent to the breeding caves, placing both seal pups and stingrays at serious risk of entanglement and disturbance.
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Our proposal includes six specific requests: designation as a Wildlife Refuge, a 300-metre fishing exclusion zone around the caves during the pupping season, a permanent ban on fishing gear near the cave entrances year-round, official signage and notices to local fishing communities, inclusion in the national registry of critical elasmobranch habitats, and a formal monitoring mandate for Merman Conservation in the area.

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