Blue World Institute: Three Decades Tracking the Adriatic's Dolphins

Formally established in 1999 and rooted in the Adriatic Dolphin Project (running continuously since 1987, now the longest study of a Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin population), the Blue World Institute researches and protects marine life around the Croatian island of Lošinj. Its advocacy led to the 2006 designation of the Kvarnerić area as the first Mediterranean marine reserve for bottlenose dolphins, and the institute has since helped identify six Natura 2000 sites for dolphins in Croatian waters. Its Lošinj Marine Education Centre, opened in 2003, has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and reached roughly 43,000 schoolchildren through over 1,100 school-group visits, while its sea turtle rescue program rehabilitated and released 22 turtles between 2007 and 2016.