Project Leaders
Dolphin Conservation in Greece

Giovanni Bearzi - Project director and scientific coordinator

Ph.D. in Zoology, he has been conducting research on Mediterranean dolphins since 1986, particularly in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. He founded and directed for a decade a dolphin research and conservation programme in Croatia, that was awarded the “Henry Ford European Conservation Award” as best European project overall. Giovanni has always tried to combine his scientific work with public awareness and education to support marine conservation, and he has supervised a number of students and young researchers. He is a consultant for organizations such as ACCOBAMS and the IUCN. In 2001 he won a Pew Marine Conservation Fellowship. Giovanni can speak Italian, English, some French and a few words of modern Greek.

Stefano Agazzi - Executive responsible

He is completing his Natural Sciences studies at the University of Milan, Italy, and joined the Ionian Dolphin Project in 1999, since he started to get involved both in the organization and in the scientific aspects of the project. His area of expertise includes the feeding ecology of high-order predators, spatial analyses through GIS, population abundance studies through photographic mark-recapture, and database management. He is an emergency rescuer and a co-ordinator and trainer of emergency rescue teams. He holds a diving licence SSI and a nautical licence. Stefano can speak Italian, English and some modern Greek.

Silvia Bonizzoni - researcher

She is completing her studies in Environmental Sciences at the University of Venice, Italy, and got involved in the Ionian Dolphin Project in 2000, when she first participated in the programme as a volunteer. She is in charge of bottlenose dolphin photo-identification catalogues for the areas of Kalamos, Amvrakikos Gulf and northern Adriatic Sea. She is also responsible for IDP database management. She took part in oceanographic cruises in the northern Adriatic Sea, and participated in surveys with the Los Angeles Dolphin Project in Southern California. Silvia is particularly interested in dolphin social organization. Silvia can speak Italian, English and some modern Greek.

Marina Costa - researcher

Master in Environmental Policy and Economy, she joined the Ionian Dolphin Project in 2003 and she is one of the principal investigators of the project. She is also involved in common dolphin photo-identification work. In 2005 and 2006 she worked as principal field investigator with a pilot research and management experience in the Egyptian Red Sea, where she was also in charge of training the rangers. She holds a PADI advanced diving licence and a nautical licence. Marina can speak Italian, French, English and some modern Greek.

Annalise Petroselli - researcher

MSc (Hons) in Marine Biology and Oceanography with a thesis that focused on habitat preferences and distribution of short-beaked common dolphins in relation to environmental parameters in the area of Kalamos (Greece). She has been collecting data on stranded cetaceans and conducted several necropsies, being actively involved in the First Aid rescue operations for Cetaceans PR.IN.CE. (Pronto Intervento Cetacei, Italy). In 2005 she joined the Bottlenose Dolphin and Minke Whale Research and Marine Mammals Rescue Project (CRRU, Scotland). She holds a PADI Open Water licence. Annalise is a native speaker of both Italian and English, and speaks some Spanish.

Susanna Pereszlenyi - researcher

She studies Biological Sciences at the University of Pecs, Hungary. Susanna has always been fond of whales and dolphins. In 2005 she attended a course in Marine Biology and did professional practice at Loro Parque in Tenerife (Canary Islands), where she appreciated the complex cognitive capabilities of bottlenose dolphins and studied their acoustics behaviour. After that experience she investigated dolphin neurobiology, physiology and behaviour at the University of Wolverhampton, England. By getting involved in the Ionian Dolphin projects, Susanna intends to continue her studies of dolphin cognition and behaviour, get more information on their communication and social organization, and see how they behave in their natural environment. Susanna enjoys adventure and sports, especially swimming, scuba diving and kick-boxing. She is a Striking Fitness instructor and Personal trainer. Susanna holds a PADI Open Water license. She speaks Hungarian, English, Slovak, and some Spanish.