Following 2 years of extensive preparation, this expedition marks the beginning of a new collaboration between Archipelagos’  International School of the and the Department of Biology, Marine Biology and Environmental Science at Roger Williams University (USA). The partnership is based on a two-way exchange of expertise and experience: the university contributes specialized scientific knowledge, equipment, and support in data analysis, while Archipelagos provides training in modern field research technologies, both in surface waters and at great depths, access to long-term research datasets, and the opportunity to apply scientific knowledge under real-world conditions of marine environmental management and conservation.

The photo was taken during a short break at the Archipelagos research station on the small island of Marathi, part of the Arki island complex in the Northern Dodecanese.

The research focuses, among many other activities, on documenting the spread of non-native marine species in deep waters, monitoring marine mammal populations, and systematically recording Local Ecological Knowledge – an invaluable source of information on Aegean biodiversity that has been passed down through generations of people who live and work at sea. Today, however, this knowledge is at risk of being lost forever as the generation of older islanders who continue to preserve it grows smaller.

Our attention remains firmly focused on the Aegean Sea, which we must view not only as a holiday destination, but above all as a living ecosystem of global environmental significance, facing ever-increasing pressures from human activities on a daily basis.