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This is a non-profit sale. The calendar has
been produced to help preserve the Posidonia forests in Greece,
which are at risk from - among other things - our yachts' anchors.
By buying this calendar you will be contributing to their preservation
by purchasing mooring buoys to mark the spots where sailors
should not drop anchor.
Price: 16 Euro including p+p
5 Euro of each sale will go towards the protection of the Posidonia
beds.
POSIDONIA OCEANICA: THE FORESTS OF THE SEA
As a child I used to play for hours by the sea.
I remember being impressed by these little greenbrownish balls
that looked like olives, wondering where do they come from.
Many years passed until my friend, environmentalist Maria Salomidi,
solved this "childhood" mystery. They were not olives
but the fruits of Posidonia oceanica underwater meadows.
I also remember the beach being full of tuffs of its ribbon-like
leaves and my grandmother complaining that the beach was full
of seaweed! I didn't know then that these leaves didn't belong
to a seaweed but a plant and that without them the beach would
have been swept away.
OUR ALLY AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
Posidonia oceanica is one of the most important endemic species
of the Mediterranean coastal environment. It's not an ALGAE
but a FLOWERING PLANT! What differentiates this plant from an
algae is that in evolutionary terms a plant is superior since
it can flower and fructify.
It has the capability of composing large meadows which are
at present the most crucial ecosystem for the life cycle of
the Mediterranean coastal benthos:
They contribute in the oxygenation of water and offer energy
in the trophic chain. Posidonia oceanica, as a superior plant,
is involved in photosynthesis. As it is widely known, the result
of photosynthesis is the production of the extremely precious
to us oxygen. Thus, the marine vegetation of Posidonia oceanica
constitutes a very important and natural ally against the climatic
changes!
Posidonia's meadows constitute a shelter and a reproduction
area for more than 1,200 species of fishes and organisms.
It also forms a natural dam that prevents the waves from sweeping
the beach away.
INCREASING THREATS
The urban growth... the industry and the intensive agriculture
(fertilizers)... the towed nets of trawlers... as well as the
tillage of the seabed by the numerous anchors of commercial
and private boats constitute her most serious enemies.
Posidonia oceanica grows at exceptionally slow rythms (1-6
hundredth a year). A meadow may need centuries to be developed...
yet its destruction can happen instantly.
The meadows of Posidonia oceanica, according to Greenpeace,
have been categorised as "ecotopes of priority" and
all the regions that contain it are considered to be regions
of priority and should be protected. The European Regulation
on Fishery compels Greece to protect the meadows of Posidonia
from destruction that is caused by certain methods of fishing
such as trawling.
In Greece, however, it is calculated that roughly 80% of Posidonia
oceanica underwater meadows remains unprotected due to the lack
of mapping and information. Greenpeace has initiated a series
of actions in order to inform, map and protect the meadows of
Posidonia oceanica in the region of the Cyclades. For more information
on the activities of Greenpeace please click here...
SUPPORT & PROTECT
Mystic Blue, based on Greenpeace's mapping of the region of
Andros, has undertaken the task of installing permanent mooring
buoys. Not only the underwater meadows of Posidonia oceanica
will be protected, but the buoys will also create a safe anchorage
for various boats, whether commercial or private.
You can contribute and support our aim of installing mooring
buoys and protect Posidonia oceanica underwater meadows by purchasing
our Mystic Blue Calendar 2009 which presents underwater photos
that reveal the hidden treasures of the Mediterranean Sea...
Acquire this beautiful calendar for yourself or as a gift.
Contribute and support the installation of mooring buoys and
help us protect Posidonia oceanica underwater meadows !
Price: 16 Euro including p+p
5 Euro of each sale will go towards the protoection of the Posidonia
beds.
Book one of our Eco
Sailing or Diving cruises and get one FREE calendar with
each booking.
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Odyssey
Sailing is officially registered and bonded with the Greek
National Tourist Organisation (GNTO - EOT). Licence Number : 00015
and is a member of the Hellenic Yacht Brokers Association
(HYBA).