Aegean

From Fortress Europe to Border-Filter: Vulnerability, Biopolitics, and the Management of Migration in Greece and the European Union after 2015

Following increased migration flows in 2015, the European Commission (EC) and the Greek government implemented new strategies and legislation to regulate mobility in the EU area. The impact of one of these strategies is especially important. The EC “European Agenda on Migration” was implemented by Greek Asylum Law 4375/2016 and followed up with subsequent legislation….

Greece’s Shrinking Population Could Leave Some Islands Barren

Greece’s Shrinking Population Could Leave Some Islands Barren

Some Greek islands could lose most of their population with the country’s birth rate among the lowest in Europe and shrinking as the government is trying a bevy of measures to give families incentives to have children. While major islands are filled with tourists in the summer some have few residents the rest of the…

Dark fleet spills proliferate

Dark fleet spills proliferate

Regulators around the world worried about the risks posed by the so-called dark fleet of tankers have seen ample evidence of how shady operations lead to environmental damage. The latest example, as highlighted by TankerTrackers.com, shows a messy ship-to-ship transfer in the Persian Gulf. TankerTrackers.com, one of the world’s leading watchers of illicit cargo movement,…

A new hub for illicit ship-to-ship transfers between Lesvos and Chios

Cargo ships, tankers etc are usually loaded at land-based terminals but sometimes it is necessary for various reasons for cargo to be transferred from one ship to another while at sea. Many of these ship-to-ship transfer (STS) operations involve the transfer of liquid fuels. This can be a risky business with a danger of spillage…

Of land and sea.“Interested solidarities” and the migration industry from below

This paper explores economic interactions between displaced people, local societies and spatial dimensions of migration management and border controls, most notably camps, focusing on the northeast Aegean islands of Chios and Lesvos. It explores the diverse activities, practices, transactions and relations developing in, around and in relation to migrant camps, the array of economic actors…

New records of introduced species in the Mediterranean (August 2024)

This Collective article presents 18 introduced taxa in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to seven phyla and documented at 22 new locations and seven countries spanning from the Levantine to the western Mediterranean. These records include the first country records of the African mussel Perna perna (Syria), the sea slug species complex Elysia cf. marginata-grandifolia (Cyprus),…

Notes on ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Lesvos island, Greece

With an area of 1,633 km2 and approximately 400 km of coastline, Lesvos isthe third-largest Greek island and the eighth-largest in the Mediterranean. Situated in the northeastern part of the Aegean archipelago and bordering Turkey, Lesvos has been known to host 59 ant species and morphospecies. In this article, we present a list of 84…

Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants and Herbs of North Aegean, Greece: Current Clinical Evidence and Future Perspectives

Medicinal plants and herbs constitute rich sources of flavoring, and aromatic compounds, namely phytochemicals, which have many positive impacts on human health, such as antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and … >>> Poulios, E., Vasios, G. K., Psara, E., Antasouras, G., Gialeli, M., Pavlidou, E., Tsantili-Kakoulidou, A., Troumbis, A. Y., Giaginis, C. The Natural Products…

Evidencing the northward extension of loggerhead sea turtle nesting activity in the Aegean Sea, Greece: new records of sporadic nesting on Lesvos and Chios islands

The Mediterranean Sea hosts a diverse array of marine species, including the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), a keystone species for conservation efforts. However, knowledge of its nesting localities within the Aegean Sea, particularly in the northern regions, remains limited. Here, we report the first documented instances of successful loggerhead turtle nesting and hatchling emergence…