Archive

The Global Ecotourism Forum 2025 was successfully concluded from October 22 to 24 in the village of Sant Fruitós de Bages and the Monastery of Sant Benet, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN) participated in the Round Table on the second day of the Forum, in the session “Good Practices and Innovative Experiences for Inclusion and Accessibility in Ecotourism.” The presentation was delivered by Stamatina Syrigou, National Coordinator of the Blue Flag Programme. Ms. Syrigou referred to the long-standing Greek experience...

Last week, we were in Portugal at the Charneca Landscape Observatory (Observatório da Paisagem da Charneca) in the Municipality of Chamusca for the second Autumn School of the TOPIO project. Nine project partners from six European countries met again for four days filled with lectures, workshops, and interactive sessions. The discussions focused on the project’s main themes: landscape mapping and monitoring through geoinformatics, digital twin technologies, participatory methods for the management and protection of the natural environment, and the importance of empowering citizens...

In mid-September, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature hosted and coordinated the event “A small discussion on Ocean Literacy and the Black Sea” at the Axios Delta Information Center, located at the offices of the Management Unit of Protected Areas of Central Macedonia in Chalastra, within the framework of the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin EOL project.Focusing on environmental education and the concept of ocean literacy, we explored together the importance of understanding the role that seas and oceans play in our lives, as well as the continuous and reciprocal...

July is one of the months most closely associated with the sea. In the framework of the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin EOL project, last week, HSPN coordinated three seminars (dissemination trainings) focusing on environmental education and more specifically on ocean literacy, bringing to the forefront the importance of truly understanding the role played not just in our lives but for the entire planet by the seas and oceans. Or rather, by the one ocean of our precious planet. EOL as a project, beyond its focus on the Black Sea, emphasizes the empowerment of local communities that live,...

The 2nd Training of Trainers (ToT) of the Interreg NEXT BSB EOL project (Environmental and Ocean Literacy in the Black Sea Basin) was successfully completed. From 26 to 29 May 2025, more than 35 trainers and trainees from environmental organizations, civil society groups, local authorities, and academic institutions from Greece, Türkiye, and Bulgaria gathered in the city of Burgas for the four-day seminar. The main goal of the seminar was to inform participants about key issues related to ocean literacy, with a particular focus on the importance of the Black Sea region. Through...

In the framework of the project “Protocol of Agricultural Practices for Islands’ Olive Cultivation to Improve Water Use Efficiency and Address Reduced Productivity” (I.O.S.P.), on April 14, 2025, HSPN’s forester Lefteris Stergianopoulos visited the pilot field in Milatos, Crete, where he was informed about the technical infrastructure and the progress of the project implementation, while also engaging in discussions with local farmers and producers. The wise use of water resources, with awareness and respect for the reality of water scarcity, especially during the summer months...