NCC is committed to research and innovation and is constantly investing in this field. It employs the most up-to-date techniques to record and monitor biodiversity on land and sea, as it has both the appropriate equipment and the qualified personnel to apply these methods. Specifically, it has four 4X4 vehicles, an energy-autonomous mobile ornithological station van, an inflatable boat, and a 15-metre sailing boat.

 

Telemetry is an indispensable method that allows the monitoring of individuals over long distances without the need for visual contact. The recording of the movements of these individuals is of crucial importance, especially in cases involving the presence of rare and endangered bird species. Telemetry involves trapping an individual of the species, placing a satellite transmitter on it and monitoring its movements either by receiving the transmitter data remotely or by retrieving it via tracking its location in the field.

NCC has specialized personnel with experience both in the installation of satellite transmitters and in the technical and scientific support of their operation on seabirds and birds of prey. The NCC team has placed more than 100 telemetry transmitters on seabird and raptor species in Greece to monitor their migration, routes, feeding areas and behaviour as part of various projects.

 

Visual surveys from boats are essential to determine the presence and abundance of species of interest, such as seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles. For such visual surveys, the company utilizes boats which follow linear routes.

The NCC team consists of observers experienced in recording seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles from offshore boats, sailboats and inflatables moving at a constant low speed.

 

Aerial surveys contribute to the completeness of pelagic monitoring for seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles.

NCC's specialized team carries out such aerial surveys from an aircraft whenever deemed necessary.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) is applied to map suitable species biotopes, to inventory nests of colonial species in reed beds or other inaccessible areas, as well as to monitor marine fauna species.

The NCC team has extensive expertise in the accurate and realistic mapping of habitats and microhabitats through the use of high-resolution drone photography. Combining its equipment with its expertise in marine mammal monitoring, the team is constantly researching innovative drone methods, such as the targeted dropping of audio-visual recording devices alongside dolphin families. The collected data is processed using specialized software, providing critical information for each species.

 

Bioacoustics is a method that contributes significantly to the remote recording of fauna species. The method is based on the installation of special sensors with an integrated microphone at selected points in the area of interest. These sensors operate continuously and, without requiring the physical presence of researchers, record any sound that falls within a defined radius.

NCC has significant experience in bioacoustic monitoring of both avifauna and large mammals such as wolves and bears. The monitoring is accomplished through the use of bioacoustic automatic recorders of the calls produced by the fauna species, without the intervention of researchers. The analysis of the audio recordings for the determination of the presence of species is carried out by the company's experienced staff through the use of special software.

 

The method of Passive Acoustic Monitoring with hydrophones provides the possibility of underwater acoustic recording over long periods and at points of high interest. Acoustic monitoring is very important for cetacean surveys. It is applied in parallel with the corresponding visual recordings and is carried out through the use of electronic systems equipped with towed, moored, or drifting hydrophones.

NCC applies passive acoustic monitoring using all available means to study underwater noise, as its objective is to identify the marine mammals detected in the logs. In its research, the company uses a 200-metre towed hydrophone for data collection in sea-going missions, deploys moored autonomous hydrophones in monitoring areas for long-term continuous recordings, while at the same time it is also exploring the possibilities of using drifting hydrophone arrays. The collected data are filtered and processed to extract important information. The processing is carried out by specialized personnel and through the use of special acoustic analysis software.

 

Thermal image recording methods are essential for complementary monitoring of an area for species such as large mammals, nocturnal and migratory birds that are active at night.

NCC applies modern thermal recording methods, such as the recording through a night vision thermal camera with optical area scanning. This method is essential for monitoring large mammals such as wolves and bears as well as for locating their suitable habitats. It is also applied to monitor the nocturnal migration and movement of flying fauna that flies at low altitudes of no more than a few tens of meters.

 

The automatic recording systems (trail cameras) are mainly applied to monitor the fauna and avifauna species that inhabit a specific area. They are essential tools because they allow individuals of fauna species to be monitored at nesting places but also at places of frequent passage, without being disturbed by researchers. These systems are triggered by movement and take photos and videos.

Investing in the modern methods of recording biodiversity, the company employs automatic infrared motion recording systems to monitor species of interest from specific points in the context of various projects.

 

The use of artificial intelligence is a fully automated and high-speed method for identifying various species of fauna from recorded files such as photos, videos and audio files. The processing of recorded data by AI offers the possibility of obtaining information on a vastly greater scale than traditional methods, and thus contributes substantially to our understanding of the environment.

Having modernized its methods for processing the large volume of data obtained from its monitoring systems, NCC utilizes all available programs relevant to the application of artificial intelligence, as well as specialized software targeted at the company's needs and based on the most advanced methods and technologies in the field.

The company is constantly investing in exploring the potential of artificial intelligence for monitoring the natural environment. With the automation of the collected data processing procedures, the field has been opened up for more and more extensive actions.

 

The implementation of management interventions on islets contributes significantly to the improvement of the status of the species of interest that inhabit them, while it also has an impact on the overall improvement of the status of the islets themselves. The company has long-standing experience in implementing such management interventions, and, in particular, in implementing interventions to improve the status of the bird species of interest that nest on these islets.

Indicatively, some of the company's actions are the following:

The NCC team has conducted several rat eradication actions on islets where seabird and Eleonora's falcon colonies are found. Among these is the most extensive such action that has been carried out in Greece to date. This action was implemented in the framework of the LIFE ElClimA project, which won the first prize of the European Commission as the best LIFE program in terrestrial habitats for 2022.

Για τη βελτίωση της διαθεσιμότητας θέσεων φωλιάσματος Μαυροπετρίτη σε νησίδες, η εταιρεία κατασκευάζει και εγκαθιστά τεχνητές φωλιές. Τέτοιες δράσεις έχουν πραγματοποιηθεί στο πλαίσιο των έργων LIFE ElClimA & LIFE ANDROSSPA και σε συνεργασία με τον ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ στα Δωδεκάνησα.

In order to reduce the predation of Audouin's gull eggs and chicks by Yellow-legged gulls and to reduce competition for nesting sites, the company has controlled Yellow-legged gull populations on islets.

As part of the LIFE Bonelli eastMed project and in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of the University of Crete, the Hellenic Ornithological Society and the Ministry of Environment, NCC is placing small reservoirs for wildlife on uninhabited islets as well as bird drowning prevention rafts in open water reservoirs.

 

The availability of qualified personnel, especially as technology develops and more and more modern methods are applied for the study and the conservation of biodiversity and nature, is fundamental for the credibility of any company active in this field.

NCC has all the necessary specialized staff, but also collaborates with external researchers from Universities, Research Institutions, and Environmental Organisations who have both long track record in applied biodiversity conservation research and experience in implementing integrated conservation programs. NCC’s expert staff and collaborators are highly skilled in the use of all modern methodological tools, such as Geographic Information Systems, spatial databases, habitat mapping and telemetry.