Koh Exist

12/11/2024

Sponge Diver statue at Kalymnos.
As conservationists, we use scuba diving for underwater projects, research, clean up and to enjoy the beauty of the ocean.
Those sponge divers used to harvest huge quantities of sponges and anything valuable as a living. The islands of the Dodecanese used to be their hunting area for many years… nowadays the sponges are being harvested nearby Tunisia because there are very few left in the Dodecanese… hopefully sponges, corals and shells will be protected one day, instead of ending up in shops.

04/11/2024

There is a lot of information online to learn about Posidonia, its importance and threats.

A few key Figures
1
More than 50 species of fishes (including many traded commercial species) live inside the Posidonia habitat. The role of nursery is highly important for many species. It is a refuge and breeding place for more than 400 plant species and 1,000 animal species.

2
Seagrasses are able to fix as much carbon as the forest (more than 5 t equivalent CO2 per ha per yr.) and 20 to 25 % is trapped in the meadow for thousands of years (major carbon sink).
Carbon stocks in the dead meadows are 10 times higher than the stock present in the forest soil

3
2.5 m height of dead meadows takes 4000 years of history.

4
Every year, Posidonia seagrasses absorb for 0,6% of CO2 emissions of the Mediterranean countries, but this rate can be higher locally (Tunisia = 15-20 % ; Corsica = 14,4%).

5
It helps to preserve the beaches: The Posidonia beds decrease by 20 % the power of the swell.

6
The economic value of Posidonia Habitat is highly important and is estimated around 50 000 euros / ha / year. Many millions of euros are locally spent every year to protect and manage Posidonia areas.

7
The growth of the dead meadows is around 1 mm per year (1 m per century maximum). Once destroyed, it cannot be recovered.

Check out this website to learn more:
https://medposidonianetwork.com/what-is-posidonia-oceanica/

What It is and his environmental importance BIOLOGY Learn about the biology of this species of marine plant Explore ECOLOGY Interactions with the environment and other organisms Explore Key Figures 1 More than 50 species of fishes (including many traded commercial species) live inside the Posidonia....

31/10/2024

Hi everyone !
As promised in our previous post, we want to share with you some of the problems we have identified in the Mediterranean Sea.
The first that we would like to address is the Posidonia. This wonderful plant that is still called w**d by many people and which is suffering from massive destruction by people who don’t understand how important this plant is for the Mediterranean ecosystem.
What do you think about Posidonia and do you think it’s important for the Mediterranean ecosystem?

27/10/2024

Our sailing and conservation season is slowly coming to the end. This year we have focused on the Mediterranean sea in Greece. We have sailed around about 35 islands, we’ve done loads of beach and underwater cleanups, we’ve helped and talked to loads of sailors, divers, locals and we have identified some issues to which we could help to find a solution.
Overall, an amazing season…
In the coming weeks we will share with you our findings and best moments.
Greece is such an amazing place that we have decided to stay at least another year… come and join us to be part of the solution 😊

10/02/2024

Hi everyone! We have publised our plan for April, May, June, July and September… If you want to join our actions check our schedule online www.kohexist.com
And also we are looking for Volunteers to help us eith website, social media, clean up organizers etc … contact us if you want to get involve.

Association pour la préservation et conservation des océans

13/10/2023

Clean up at
We didn’t bring back the rubbish collect from the beach as it’s really hard to find a place in town to bring them to. We really hope that the or who are in charge of this natural reserve will come to pick it up before the next storm.

20/06/2023

Discover our program for the summer 2023 on our website www.kohexist.com (it’s in French but the dates and location are easy to understand 😉) Our autumn program will be published soon.

Découvrez notre programme pour l’été 2023 sur notre site internet www.kohexist.com Notre programme pour l’automne sera publié bientôt.

15/06/2023

Texte en français plus bas ⤵️

During the summer season 2020, 2021, 2022 we have discovered an amazing sea which has been used and abused by human activities since a very long time… the Mediterranean sea.
We have decided to act through beach and underwater clean up, citizen’s survey and education.
We did those actions from a lovely little sailing boat which could accommodate two person.

Well… that’s what has changed… we now have access to a bigger boat where you can join and live onboard, participate in our actions, learn sailing, marine ecology and go diving!!!

We have the boat but we need some help to finance some equipment (solar panels, water purifier, dive compressor, safety equipment…) to make it fully functional for our actions.

Do you want to help us ?

You can become member of our association, the member fee is 60 CHF or 60 EUR per year

You can prebook a week with us during the season 2023 (location will be Sardinia and Corsica) or 2024, for 700 CHF or 700 EUR

You can make a donation (even small ... it helps)

You can find our IBAN on our website : www.kohexist.com (it's only in French for now but we are working on a better website)

En français ⬇️

Pendant les saisons d’été 2020, 2021 et 2022,
nous avons découvert une mer magnifique qui a malheureusement été affectée par les activités humaines depuis très longtemps… la mer Méditerranée.

Nous avons décidé d’agir avec des nettoyages des plages et sous l’eau, des recensements et des séances d’informations.

Toutes ces actions ont été faites depuis notre petit bateau qui peut accueillir deux à trois personnes (en mode camping)

Et bien c’est ça qui a changé … cette année, nous avons accès à un bateau beaucoup plus grand (Bavaria 38) sur lequel vous pouvez nous rejoindre pour participer à nos actions, apprendre la voile et l’écologie marine et plonger.

Nous avons le bateau mais il manque quelques équipements pour le rendre plus écologique (panneaux solaires, purificateur d’eau, etc)

Vous voulez soutenir nos actions et/ou vous joindre à nous?

Vous trouverez toutes les informations sur notre site www.kohexist.com (site en français 😉)

30/05/2023

Hello everyone ! We have been very quiet on social media in the last few years but our actions have been ongoing. We’ve been back on Koh Tao for a few months, committing to our weekly Beach Clean Up with the participation of Scuba Shack. We are now heading back to the Mediterranean sea to carry on our projects… more information coming soon 😊