HEALING LESVOS

A champion organization of the Mission Blue Avlaki Hope Spot

Conserving the Ocean

Supporting sustainable development

We’re thrilled to announce Mission Blue’s newest Hope Spot in Avlaki, Lesvos island – the first of its kind in the Aegean.

Avlaki represents life: Water.  The continuous ebb and flow of water signifies the movement of Life, and it includes hope and peace above and below water.

Avlaki is a permanent Hope Spot for all that is living and nurtured by our marine areas. Over recent years, the region has been a Hope Spot for hundreds of thousands of displaced people who travelled across the sea under painful circumstances in hope of a better world.

A true and tangible symbol, the Avlaki Hope Spot represents hope and peace. Let’s unite together to honour, respect, protect and enjoy it during our lifetime, and after.

Chosen for its special abundance of migratory species, significant historical and cultural value and economic importance to the community, Avlaki has the potential to reverse the negative impact caused by civilization over the years.

Near Ancient Mythimna, a few miles from Avlaki, there are a number of caves where monk seals give birth. Also, the island of St. George is a breeding and nesting ground for protected bird species, like the yellow-beaked seagull.  Both these species are threatened.

Plastic waste continues to be a big problem in the Mediterranean, even in areas that have not been impacted as drastically as Lesvos.  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 on and off shore.  At the same time, our community welcomed some of the best-of-the-best people from across the world who came here to help !

After being awarded the Mission Blue Avlaki Hope Spot distinction, the local community – including the University of the Aegean – wishes to leverage the same spirit of human dedication to do good, care, clean up and formally guard-protect our local marine environment.

Our Avlaki Hope spot is the perfect opportunity to take time out from our busy schedules and actively consider how we are interconnected to everything that exists on Earth. By being present to what is going on in our lives and around us, we can cleanse and clear the residue of old negative energy, and plant new metaphorical seeds to nurture hope and peace now and in the future.

Join our community to keep our Ocean – our Planet’s blue heart – clean, healthy and alive!

Think globally. Act locally. Learn more: www.healinglesvos.org