Watch this short documentary featuring stunning images of the Aegean’s coralligenous habitats. It presents a 15-year scientific effort to locate and map them in the depths of the mesophotic zone (70–150 meters), aiming to raise awareness of and protect these unique ecosystems.

A persistent collective effort in collaboration with fishers, the Municipality of Fourni, and international scientists.

The first major victory has been achieved – a true milestone for marine conservation in Greece. The first protected area has been established, where trawling is prohibited to safeguard vulnerable coralligenous ecosystems.

The next pressing goal is to create a monitoring mechanism that will ensure the new legislation is implemented and does not remain merely on paper.

But it’s also an urgent priority to identify, reveal, and map so many more coralligenous habitats ecosystems that, by chance, continue to survive in the deep waters of the Aegean.

Time is against us. Destructive human activities continue without restraint. We risk losing these unique ecosystems before we even discover they exist – without ever knowing how many have already been lost.

The only solution is targeted, sustained action – not opportunistic campaigns or contractor-style, million-euro projects that begin and end in air-conditioned offices in Athens.