Archive

The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature hosted more than 30 trainers and trainees from three different countries (Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey) for the 1st Training of Trainers (ToT) seminar, as part of the Interreg NEXT BSB EOL (Environmental and Ocean Literacy in the Black Sea Basin) project. The training took place in Thessaloniki, from March 10 to 14, 2025, in the seminar hall of Astoria Hotel . The 1st ToT seminar brought together representatives from NGOs, public authorities, and academic institutions from the three partner countries. Through lectures, presentations, and...

With the aim of addressing the risk of desertification and soil degradation in the Asterousia Mountains area, the working group of the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN) and the Natural History Museum of the University of Crete held an awareness and introductory event in Crete. The action included a participatory planning and innovation workshop, which took place on February 13 at the Messara Agricultural School, at the Department of Young Farmers in Ampelouzos, in the Municipality of Gortyna, Heraklion Regional Unit, as part of the HORIZON MONALISA project. During...

Together with the working team of our project partner, the Region of Crete, on February 12th we visited the Regional Unit of Lasithi for the INTERREG Euro-MED project NaTour4CChange. NaTour4CChange brings together 10 partners from 6 countries with a shared vision: reconnecting tourism with the natural environment and nature, leveraging ecosystems to address climate change in Mediterranean coastal destinations. For Greece, the project’s pilot areas are the Zakros mountains (Natura 2000 protected area GR4320016 – Ori Zakrou) and the Koufonisi island (Natura 2000 protected area...

As part of the LIFE PHOENIX project, meetings with stakeholders and social partners were held in Spili, Municipality of Agios Vasileios, Rethymno, and in Pyrgos Monofatsiou, Municipality of Acharnes-Asterousia, Heraklion. ©UoC-NHMC Archive The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature and the other Greek project partners (the Natural History Museum of Crete, Homeotech, and the Ministry of Environment and Energy) traveled to Crete on February 11th and 12th for these meetings. The main objective was to introduce key stakeholders to the project and its activities. At the same time,...

During the congress, the project team joined key sessions on sustainable maritime and cultural tourism, climate adaptation in tourism, and capacity building for policy integration. The consortium also hosted a private session, where regional partners explored tools and shared good practices for developing Climate Action Plans. The event concluded with a field visit to the breathtaking Cabo de Gata – Nijar Natural Park, the only place in Europe climatically classified as a hot desert (Bwh in Köppen’s classification) showcasing the region's unique environment and highlighting the...

The kick-off meeting for the HORIZON project MONitoring and Assessing prevention and restoration soLutIons to combat deSertificAtion – MONALISA was successfully held in the city of Sassari, Sardinia, from October 1–3. This inaugural meeting of the partners was organized by the project coordinator, Università degli Studi di Sassari and included preparatory work as well as the first field visit by the project team to the Berchidda-Monti area, one of the six case studies of the project. The project focuses on promoting innovative and region-specific solutions for the prevention and...

A key aspect of the TOPIO project, in which HSPN (Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature) participates under the HORIZON MSCA program, is the secondment of researchers and staff to different partners and countries. Within this framework, we had the great pleasure of hosting Guillherme Saad Simenes, a PhD candidate from Instituto Superior Técnico (and a member of the CiTUA - Territory, Urbanism, and Architecture research and innovation center) at the University of Lisbon, over the past few weeks. Focusing on participatory design and the sociological dimensions of...