LESVOS MISSION BLUE HOPE SPOT

MISSION BLUE HOPE SPOTS

Led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue is uniting a global coalition to boost public awareness, access, and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas. These Hope Spots are the Earth’s blue heart and are critical to the health of our ocean.

Our Lesvos Mission Blue hope Spot represents life. It’s a Hope Spot for all that’s living and nurtured by our marine areas and waters. It signifies hope and peace, and it should be honored, respected, and protected for those who will come to enjoy and use it during our lifetime and after.

Learn more about Hope Spots

WHY IS OUR HOPE SPOT IMPORTANT?

Having a Hope Spot presence in Lesvos, and Greece overall, is crucial. We have extensive coastlines and marine ecosystems that exist side by side with many commercial, fishing, and shipping activities.

In the height of the European humanitarian crisis, Lesvos saw an increasingly negative impact on marine life, caused by plastic litter and other marine waste. The fisheries are declining at an alarming pace. Local tourism needs support and differentiation and many local people are looking for alternative ways to boost quality of life and income.

WHY WAS LESVOS CHOSEN?

Chosen for its special abundance of migratory species, significant historical-cultural value and economic importance to the community, the Lesvos Mission Blue Hope Spot has the potential to reverse the negative impact caused by humans in recent years. 

Near ancient Mythimna, a few miles from Avlaki, there are a number of caves where monk seals give birth.

Also, the little island of St. George is a breeding and nesting ground for protected bird species, like the yellow-beaked seagull.

BLUE HEART PROJECT

SPREADING THE MESSAGE

This is an exciting education tie-in programme aimed at young innovators worldwide. In 2018, students from the New Village School (NVS) in San Francisco were invited to participate and create a blue heart for our project.  NVS travelled with it in pieces to Lesvos. Once on the island, they worked with the local high-school in Petra to assemble the blue heart and placed it near the Lesvos. Mission Blue Hope Spot.

The blue heart marks a Hope Spot and symbolises healing, ocean, people, education, collaboration, innovation, youth, opportunity, peace and marine life. Much like the Olympic torch, the blue heart will travel from Lesvos to another school in a different country to mark their Hope Spot to continue spreading the message and raising awareness. The next destination is the Abrolhos Hope Spot (Houtman Islands), Western Australia.  

World Oceans Day News Report by ERT