Workshop on the MedWet Inventory Tools. The MedWet Secretariat organized a workshop at the Greek Biotope Center (EKBY), in Thessaloniki on the 8th of December, with the aim to consolidate the important and long standing work done on a Mediterranean Wetland Inventory System. The methodology and tools of the MedWet Inventory System are available from the internet: http://www.medwet.org/medwet-inventory/. For more information on the workshop please click here. [02/02/2012]

Presentation of LIFE PINUS as a case study for post-fire management of Southern Europe forests. The project LIFE+ NATURE LIFE07 NAT/GR/000286 entitled “Restoration of Pinus nigra forests on Mount Parnonas (GR2520006) through a structured approach” (LIFE PINUS) has been included as a case study of post-fire management of Black pine forests in the book "Post-fire management and restoration of Southern European Forests", one of the major outcomes of the COST Action FP0701 “Post-Fire Forest Management in Southern Europe” that was published in November 2011. The project has also been included in the European database of post-fire forest management projects which has been developed in the framework of the same research action. For more information on LIFE PINUS, please visit the Project's website: http://www.parnonaslife.gr [02/02/2012]

International Symposium "Water and Wetlands in the Mediterranean. From Grado to Agadir: The next 20 years". The Ramsar Convention, the MedWet Initiative and the High Commissariat for Water, Forests and Desertification Control of Morocco announce the organisation of the International Symposium on Water and Wetlands in the Mediterranean, to be held in the city of Agadir in Morocco from 6-8 February 2012. In addition, BirdLife International, IUCN, the Tour du Valat, Wetlands International and WWF International are key partners in the organisation of the Symposium. Main sponsors of the Symposium are the MAVA Foundation, the Ministry of Environment of Italy and MedWet. Twenty years after the first Symposium in Grado of North Italy (February 1991), which gave rise to the MedWet Initiative and renewed the scientific community’s perspectives on Mediterranean wetlands, this new International Symposium aims to review the current situation of water and wetlands in the Mediterranean, identify new challenges and plan for the next 20 years. Focus will be given on the changes occurring in the Mediterranean and their potential impact on wetlands, on identification of ways in which wetland resources can be used sustainably, with a strong emphasis on water resources, and on the provision of ways for closer cooperation between experts and decision-makers in the Mediterranean involved in the water sector, wetlands, biodiversity and other related fields.

The symposium in Agadir offers the opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, and the 20 years anniversary from the organization of the MedWet Initiative. The meeting will bring together experts, scientists and stakeholders in policy and decision making, protection, conservation, management and use of water and wetland resources in the Mediterranean. It includes plenary sessions and workshops on topics relating to sustainable management of water resources, adaptation to climate change and sustainable use of wetlands and their services, with particular emphasis on biodiversity and cultural heritage. Ii will also include a field visit to the Souss-Massa Ramsar site, a workshop of new experts on Mediterranean wetlands, a photo competition, exhibitions of local products and cultural visits in the region of Agadir.

EKBY, as one of the MedWet Wetland Centres and as key partner pf the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory, will be present in the Symposium. Being a GlobWetland-II partner, actively participates in the side events that are organised for the promotion of the project results. EKBY also participates in the Poster Session with a poster entitled "Assessing the impact of climate change on the hydrological balance of two wetlands in Northern Greece" (Doulgeris, Papadimos, Kapsomenakis). More info on the Symposium: http://agadir2012.medwet.org. [31/01/2012]

February 2: World Wetlands Day 2012. "Wetlands and tourism" is the theme for World Wetlands Day for 2012 and the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention gives the opportunity for actions to raise awareness of wetland values, this time focusing on the recreational value and promoting an important service of wetlands, tourism. The theme of the celebration for 2012 is linked to the theme of the next Conference of Parties of the Ramsar Convention, COP11 "Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation," which will take place in July 2012 in Bucharest, Romania. For the purpose of raising awareness and promoting the recreational value and of the benefits arising from the development of sustainable tourism in wetland areas, both for humans and for nature, a variety of information and awareness material has been produced, in cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The material also includes a very interesting brochure on wetlands and sustainable tourism and a truly inspired comic. More information can be found on the official website of the Ramsar Convention: http://www.ramsar.org/WWD [30/01/2012]

Best wishes for 2012 from all of us! EKBY Season's Greetings [14/12/2011]

National Monitoring Network of the water quality and quantity. The Joint Ministerial Decision on "the designation of the National Monitoring Network of the water quality and quantity, with specifications on the sampling stations and the responsible bodies, according to article 4, paragraph 4 of Law 3199/2003 (A 280)" was issued on the 9th of September 2011. The Special Secretariat for Water of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (YPEKA) is responsible for: a) the submission of annual report and annual budget needed for the operation of the National Monitoring Network to YPEKA, b) the monitoring of surface and ground water status at national level and in collaboration with the Regional Water Directorates of Decentralised Administration and c) the development and operation of the National Monitoring Network of the surface and ground water quality and quantity. In this context, the Special Secretariat for Water coordinates and administers the following bodies:

• General Chemical State Laboratory (GCSL)

• Hellenic Centre for the Marine Research (HCMR)

• Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME)

• Greek Biotope Wetland Centre (EKBY)

• Municipal Water and Sewerage Company of Larissa (DEYAL)

• Municipal Water and Sewerage Company of Heraklion (DEYAH)

• Land Reclamation Institute of the National Agricultural Research Foundation (LRI).

According to the Joint Ministerial Decision, EKBY is designated as the responsible body for sampling, analysis and in situ measurements, as well as, for data submission regarding the ecological status classification of lakes in Greece. The National Monitoring Network of water quality and quantity is expected to be fully operative during 2011. More information. [06/10/2011]

SIGNALS 2011 - Globalisation, environment and you. The European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes SIGNALS each year, providing snapshot stories on issues of interest to the environmental policy debate and the wider public in the coming year. [17/08/2011]

EKBY at the “Wetlands for the future” conference. Following an invitation by the Carpathian Wetlands Initiative, EKBY represented MedWet in the “Wetlands for the future” conference which took place in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia from the 19th to the 21st May 2011, at the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, the 10th anniversary of the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic (SNC SR) and the International Year of Forests. EKBY presented the new MedWet inventory, assessment and monitoring system (for MedWet manuals visit: http://www.medwet.org/codde/index.html) and stressed the importance of using a harmonized system between the two initiatives. Also, pointed out the advantages of new technologies by presenting the GlobWetland II project, which is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), and regards the use of satellite images for mapping the status and changes of almost 200 coastal wetlands at 11 Mediterranean countries of North Africa and Middle East. The conference was successful and further collaboration between the two wetlands initiatives was agreed on the level of wetland inventories, knowledge transfer and joint projects. Full article. [15/07/2011]

World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2011. ''Wetlands and Forests'' is the theme for World Wetlands Day 2011, especially chosen because 2011 is the UN International Year of Forests. [01/02/2011]

The Opening Meeting of the project LIFE+ AdaptFor “Adaptation of forest management to climate change in Greece” was successfully held on 13 December 2010 in Athens. [04/01/2011]

The Black Pine forest of Parnonas is being restored. Life+ Project "Restoration of Pinus nigra forests on mount Parnonas through a structured approach" contributes to the restoration of burned areas in mount Parnonas and regenerates the natural environment of the region. The first of the 460,000 Black pine seedlings were planted in the burnt areas of Parnonas on December 17, 2010. More [04/01/2011]

Season's Greetings for 2011 [03/01/2011]

In the framework of the project LIFE+ AdaptFor "Adaptation of forest management to climate change in Greece", the Kick-off Meeting of the project will be held on Monday 13 December 2010, at the Hotel Amalia, Athens. The aim of the meeting is the communication of the project’s objectives, first outputs and results to relevant stakeholders and the promotion of the adaptation of forest management to climate change, in Greek forests. [10/12/2010]

The Greek Biotope Wetland Centre (EKBY) participates in the implementation of the GlobWetland II Project. GlobWetland II is a new innovative project of the European Space Agency (ESA) for the support of Ramsar Convention in the context of the Mediterranean Wetlands monitoring. In GW-II the establishment of EO-based services are to support the inventory, mapping, monitoring and assessment of wetlands ecosystems and will be evaluated especially to build the foundation in the Ramsar community for a wide scale deployment of a Global Wetland Observing System (G-WOS). In particular, GW-II will demonstrate the capability of the system for 200 wetland sites and surrounding areas of the Southern and Eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, extending from Morocco to Turkey. For more information visit the Project's website at: http://www.globwetland.org [04/10/2010]

Website of the LIFE+ AdaptFor Project "Adaptation of forest management to climate change in Greece" has been uploaded. In the framework of the Project, the following sets of action are being implemented: a) demonstration of the approach of adapting forest management to climate change in four selected forest ecosystems where changes in vegetation have already been observed (assessment of the impacts of climate change on the above mentioned ecosystems, proposals of adaptation measures and subsequent modification of their forest management plans) and b) enhancement of the country's forest services in adapting management to climate change at the regions of their authority (through the holding of training seminars and the publication of relevant guidelines). [15/07/2010]

22 March 2010: World Water Day. [22/03/2010]

First year for the project Life07 NAT/GR/000286 "Restoration of Pinus nigra forests on Mount Parnonas (GR2520006) through a structured approach" was successful. See the achievements and the deliverables of the project in http://www.parnonaslife.gr/en/actions. [12/03/2010]

February 2, 2010. World Wetlands Day. [02/02/2010]

EEA NATURA 2000 Map Viewer. The new EEA NATURA 2000 Map Viewer is built on state of the art GIS technology and is accessible thought the URL: http://natura2000.eea.europa.eu. The Map Viewer provides the opportunity to navigate the European NATURA 2000 network of sites over different background layers (Street Map, CORINE LandCover,etc), to search for locations of interest, NATURA 2000 sites, species and habitats of interest, to view useful information, photographs and the Standard Data Form of a Natura site, etc. More [21/01/2010]

Season's greetings from EKBY. [21/12/2009]

Results from the informal meeting for the "Agreement for the protection and development of Prespa". On Friday 27/11/2009, the Prime Ministers of Greece, Albania and FYROM, namely G. Papandreou, S. Berisha and N. Gruevski, had an informal closed meeting in Prespa regarding the protection and development of the Transboundary Prespa Park. In a Joint Statement they announced that the development of integrated transboundary river basin management plans will be promoted, and that an agreement between the three countries and the EU will be signed on the 2nd of February 2010, which is the 10th anniversary of the creation of the park and the World Wetlands day. The Joint Statement was sent to the General Secretary of the UN, the EU and the Prime Minister of Denmark, host of the COP-15 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that takes place in Copenhagen in December 2009. (SOURCE: Society for the Protection of Prespa). The Joint Statement of the three Prime Ministers. [14/12/2009]

BioScore: A new tool to assess the impacts of European Community policies on Europe's biodiversity. In the framework of BioScore project, at the end of three years’ work of nine institutions, including the Greek Biotope Wetland Centre (EKBY), a unique methodology for assessing the impacts of selected policy-related pressures on biodiversity in Europe was created. BioScore identified the main environmental pressures related to the Community policies. The BioScore database contains information on habitat suitability and sensitivity to environmental pressures for more than 1,000 species. The BioScore tool, as well as the final project report, published under the supervision and coordination of the European Centre for Nature Conservation (ECNC) is available at: http://www.bioscore.eu.[23/09/2009]

Conservation status of EU’s protected habitats and species. In 2007, Member States delivered the first comprehensive report on the conservation status of the habitats and species of Community interest (reporting period 2001-2006), in the framework of Article 17 of the Habitats Directive. Hereupon, the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (ETC/BD), based on the Member States’ reports, compiled and assessed the conservation status of each habitat type and species included in the Annexes of the Directive, on a biogeographical zone level. The results indicate that overall, across the different biogeographical zones and marine regions of Europe, only 17% of habitats and species assessments show a favourable condition, while 18% of habitats and 31% of species assessments are classified as “unknown” due to a lack of information. The gaps in knowledge are notably marked in Southern Europe and the habitat types and species of the marine environment. In Greece, 24% of the habitat types and species occur in a favourable conservation status, while 62,5% of the species assessments resulted as “unknown”. From the above mentioned results rises the challenge of achieving the target of halting biodiversity loss, as well as the need to prioritise habitats and species that require action. [22/9/2009]

Exhibition "Darwin NOW". On the occasion of the 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin and 150 years since the first publication of his book "The Origin of Species", the Goulandris Natural History Museum presents the exhibition titled "Darwin NOW". The exhibition is held in collaboration with the British Council on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. It is open, to the public over 12 years of age, during the Museum’s opening hours all working days and weekends until November 29th 2009 at no additional cost beyond the usual entrance fee. School groups can attend a relevant training program, after consultation with the Museum’s educational department (tel. 0030 210 8015870 ext. 527). For more information: http://www.goulandris-nhm.gr/NewsDetail2.aspx?selArticle=159 [16/09/2009]

On 27-28 April 2009, in Athens, Greece, the European Commission hosted an international high-level conference on biodiversity. Its aim was to identify the key policy priorities to start the debate on future (post-2010) biodiversity policy. Taking part were leading scientists, politicians, economists and academics, as well as representatives from European Union Member States, civil society and business. Together, they provided the Message from Athens: an eight-point plan for future action to confront the ongoing global biodiversity crisis. The Message from Athens.
More information on the Conference is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/conference/index_en.htm [03/09/2009]

2010 will be a major milestone for biodiversity policy both in the EU and globally. It will be the year of the full evaluation of the delivery to the EU Biodiversity Action Plan and as well the UN International Year for Biodiversity. Thus it is time to take a stock on where we are and to start framing the post-2010 biodiversity vision and preparing the strategy for the period being ahead of us. The European Commission organizes a major conference on 'Biodiversity Protection – Beyond 2010' on 27-28 April 2009 in Athens, Greece convening all the main actors engaged in the development and implementation of EU biodiversity policy together with international institutions and globally recognized experts. For more information, follow the link to the event at the Greek Biodiversity CHM, or visit the website of the EC DG Environment: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/policy/index_en.htm [14/04/2009]

On 4/2/2009 the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works posted on its website (http://www.minenv.gr) the draft National Strategy for Biodiversity for consultation by the ministries, stakeholders and all interested citizens. Comments and observations on the draft Strategy can be submitted until 31 May 2009 (total time of 3 months consultation) to the Division of Environmental Planning - Department of Management of Natural Environment, 36 Trikalon str., GR 11526 Athens, and Mrs. Tryfon by post, FAX: 210-6918487 (Ms Tryfon account) and e-mail: e.trifon@dpers.minenv.gr. [14/04/2009]

The MedWet Web Information System (MedWet/WIS) is now online offering access to the newly updated MedWet tools for inventory, assessment and monitoring of wetlands. The MedWet/WIS has been designed to support the effort of Mediterranean countries towards the creation of a common knowledge base for Mediterranean wetlands. The system offers stakeholders from a variety of bodies including policy makers, wetland managers and researchers access to information o­n the location, ecological characteristics and socio-economic importance of wetland ecosystems. By offering differentiated degree of access rights to different user groups the system ensures regulated use of data o­n wetlands while the system ensures safe exchange of information through the MedWet Inventory Data Sharing Protocol. The MedWet Web Information System has been developed in the framework of the MedWet CODDE project co-funded by the INTERREG III C Sud Programme. To use the MedWet WIS simply visit this address: http://www.wetlandwis.net [07/01/2009]

Season's greetings from EKBY. [22/12/2008]

The Goulandris Natural History Museum-Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY) is organizing, at its premises, an educational seminar on Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st of October, titled “Transboundry cooperation for Environmental Education” in the framework of the project Transboundary cooperation and exchange of know-how for the use of learning technology in environmental education, of the Community Initiative Operational Programme INTERREG IIIA/CARDS GREECE-FYROM. Programme. [17/10/2008]

EuroBirdWatch 2008. EuroBirdWatch takes place annually in 24 European countries and is coordinated by Birdlife International. The Greek events are organized by the Hellenic Ornithological Society in cooperation with municipalities and local bodies and organizations, and they will be held in the regions of Attiki, Macedonia, Pylos of Messinia and the Evros Delta during the weekend of 4-5 October 2008. Participation is free. More. [25/9/2008]

In the framework of the 2nd Report on Implementation Measures taken under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) in the member states of the European Union, the public consultation on the summary of the national reports at biogeographical level for species and habitat types, will take place from 28 July until 15 September 2008. Those interested can visit the following link: http://biodiversity.eionet.europa.eu/article17. [30/07/2008]

Call for experts in the framework of the project: Transboundary cooperation and knowledge transfer for the use of education technology in environmental education, of the Operational Programme INTERREG IIIA/CARDS GREECE-FYROM. [10/07/2008]

Call for proposals in the framework of the INTERREG project: "Transboundary cooperation and knowledge transfer for the use of education technology in environmental education" [29/05/2008]

2nd national report on the implementation of the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) in Greece (reporting period: 2001-2006). In the framework of the implementation of the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC), the submission of the 2nd national report (reporting period: 2001 – 2006) to the European Commission, through the IT Tool, has been completed. The 2nd national report consists of the two parts: the first one (General Report) includes general information on the conservation measures taken under the Habitats Directive on National Level (legal framework, state of designation of Natura 2000, management issues, conservation and mitigation measures, financing, species protection, etc.). The second part focuses on the conservation status of the habitat types (Annex I) and species (Annexes II, IV and V) of the Habitats Directive, present in our country. It includes Habitat Types and Species Factsheets, accompanied by range and distribution maps. The national reports of all member states will be used by the European Commission (with the contribution of the European Environment Agency and of the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity) for the preparation of a single composite report at biogeographical level. Those interested can access the data of the 2nd national report from the following link: http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/gr/eu/art17. [18/04/2008]

A new brochure titled «Strymonas/Struma River basin. Hellenic-Bulgarian cooperation for the protection and management of natural resources: application in Strymonas/Struma river basin» has been published recently by EKBY, in the framework of the project "Hellenic – Bulgarian cooperation for the protection and management of Natural Resources", financed by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs-Hellenic International Development Cooperation Department (Hellenic Aid). The brochure in jpeg format. [25/01/2008]

Eurobarometer survey on: Attitudes of Europeans towards the issue of biodiversity. Summary  Analytical report [21/01/2008]

A training course entitled "MedWet Tools for Wetland Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment", on tools for wetland inventorying, monitoring and assessment is planned to take place on 12-15 December 2007 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Organised by the Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY) the training is addressed to professionals on wetland conservation in the public sector and organisations active in this field. The course is organised in the framework of the INTEREG IIIC project: "MedWet information and knowledge network for the sustainable development of wetland ecosystems (MedWet/CODDE)". For more details on the content and programme of the course you can view the leaflet available here. [05/12/2007]

The public consultation on the Draft 2nd National Report on Implementation Measures taken under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) in Greece, is extended until Monday 29 October 2007. Researchers are encouraged to submit their comments on the specific webpage of the Greek Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism. [24/10/2007]

A meeting and a training seminar will be held, on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th of October 2007, in the framework of the project: “Development of interpretation infrastructures in Lake Doirani and increase capacity building of local communities” More   Press release  [23/10/2007]
Meeting:  Invitation  Programme  Poster
Seminar:  Invitation  Programme  Poster

News for the Carpathian Project Site. The training actions (Training of Trainers and Study Tour) on sustainable tourism, which took place at Rhodope’s Region, from 16th to 23rd of September 2007, in the framework of the project titled “Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians in a Transnational Framework”, which is implemented by the Prefectural Authority of Drama-Kavala-Xanthi and the Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre and is co-funded by the EU Community (INTERREG III B/CADSES), were concluded successfully.
Representatives from both countries, Ukraine and Greece, had the chance to exchange views on matters of planning and development of sustainable tourism and the trainees visited selected case studies of good practice of sustainable development, implemented in Rhodope mountain (e.g. guest houses, alternative tourism activities, trails, natural history museums etc). Information material for the training seminar  Information material for the study tour [16/10/2007]

In the framework of the 2nd National Report on Implementation Measures taken under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) in Greece, the public consultation on the Draft Report will take place from 28 September until 22 October 2007. Researchers are encouraged to submit their comments on the specific webpage of the Greek Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism. [25/09/2007]

Announcement of workshop on "National & Local Wetland Inventories in the Service of Mediterranean Wetland Assessment and Monitoring: The Serbian Case". The workshop is organised by the Faculty of Biology of the University of Belgrade and the Greek Biotope Wetland Centre (EKBY), and will take place at the premises of the Faculty of Biology in Belgrade on 28 September 2007. It is targeted to the national and local authorities, to the scientific community and to other stakeholders interested to wetland conservation and management. The workshop aims to promote the wetland inventory actions in Serbia and to link them with the MedWet Initiative’s efforts to building up an overall picture of the status and trends of the wetlands in the Mediterranean region. Serbian decision makers and stakeholders will be encouraged to force and support inventory, assessment and monitoring actions in the country, and share the inventory data they hold through the MedWet Web Information System. Results of the capacity building in the MedWet inventory method and tools, that was carried out by EKBY for Serbian scientists, will be presented and follow up activities will be proposed in view of contributing inventory actions in the country and the Pan Mediterranean wetland inventory overall. It is implemented in the frame of the International Development Cooperation Programme "Training in wetland inventory using modern technology" that is financed by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Hellenic International Development Cooperation Department (Hellenic Aid). Workshop agenda [20/09/2007]

Announcement for advanced training course in "Wetland Inventory using Modern Technology". The training course is organized by EKBY and the Faculty of Biology of the University of Belgrade, and will take place at the premises of the Faculty of Biology in Belgrade, during 25 and 27 September 2007. It is a continuation of the former 'beginners' course and is addressed to Serbian scientists. The course is implemented in the frame of the International Development Cooperation Programme "Training in wetland inventory using modern technology" that is financed by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Hellenic International Development Cooperation Department (Hellenic Aid). Detail course schedule [20/09/2007]

The Prefectural Authority of Drama-Kavala and Xanthi (PP7) in cooperation with the Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY), are organizing in Rhodope mountain, from the 16 till the 23 of September 2007, a training seminar and a study tour for sustainable tourism development. The seminar and the study tour will be attended by selected representatives of the university community, and public and private organizations related to tourism in Ukraine. The training actions are organized in the context of the project titled “Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians in a Transnational Framework”, which is co-funded by the EU Community (INTERREG III B/CADSES). Press release  Training seminar poster  Study tour poster   Training seminar programme   Study tour programme [14/09/2007]

Announcement for beginners training course in "Wetland Inventory using Modern Technology". The training course is organized by EKBY and the Faculty of Biology of the University of Belgrade, and will take place at the EKBY premises in Thessaloniki, during 18 and 21 September 2007. It is addressed to Serbian scientists that have basic knowledge of wetland inventory using remote sensing and GIS. The course is implemented in the frame of the International Development Cooperation Programme "Training in wetland inventory using modern technology" that is financed by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Hellenic International Development Cooperation Department (Hellenic Aid). Detail course schedule  More information about the programme [14/09/2007]

The Patras Municipality Enterprise For Local Development (ADEP) and the Greek Biotope-Wetland Centre (EKBY) organise the International Conference on "Funding Opportunities for Nature Conservation & Management", in the framework of the "Reseau des Parcs" Interreg IIIC Project. The conference will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece on Friday 6th of July 2007 at Nikopolis Hotel, Asklipiou 16-18 Pylaia. Conference Agenda. Contact: K. Konstantakopoulos, Tel. 0030 2610 361766, Fax: 0030 2610 361782, E-mail: konstada@patras.gr [02/07/2007]

Job vacancy announcement from the Society for the Protecion of Prespa. Detailed announcement [13/03/2007]

New website for Lake Doiran is currently on-line at EKBY's webpage! The website is developed by EKBY in the frame of a transboundary cooperation between Greece and FYROM and is available in 3 languages (greek, cyrillic and english). It contains general information and photographic archive of the lake, as well as information on former and current conservation projects. [17/1/2007]

The electronic newsletter of the European Commission Lifenews and the new LIFE Focus publication, LIFE and European Forests, under the title “A viable future for Vai palm forest” feature the significance of the project “Conservation measures for the palm forest of Vai, Greece”, which was implemented by the Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (1999-2002), in cooperation with the local Toplou Monastery and the Forestry Directorate of Lasithi. More [9/11/2006]

In the frame of the project “Hellenic – Bulgarian cooperation for the protection and management of Natural Resources – Application in Strymon River Basin” that is funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EKBY organizes a training course in the following subject matters: a) Hydraulic-hydrologic simulation systems, and b) Geographical Information Systems and satellite image analysis. The training aims to transfer EKBY’s knowledge to Bulgarian experts that are responsible for the management of water and soil resources in Bulgaria, and in particular experts working for the Water Department of the Ministry of Environment and Water and for the Institute of Soil Science “N. Poushkarov”. The training will last from 30 October till 3 November of 2006 and will take place at the EKBY premises in Thessaloniki. Course agenda [2/11/2006]

On the context of the LIFE-STRYMON project, EKBY organises the interim meeting. The meeting will take place on 6 July 2006 10:00 am at the INFORMATION CENTRE OF KERKINI WETLAND in Municipality of Kerkini, Perfection of Serres, Greece. The meeting is open to the public. Official language of the meeting is Greek.[30/06/2006]

On Sunday 2 April 2006 the workshop on "Enrichment of the MedWet Inventory Method: Exploring applications of Remote Sensing techniques and of Spatial Data Infrastructures" was completed successfully at EKBY. List of participants. The workshop material (abstracts and power point presentations) is available here. [18/05/2006]

Announcement of workshop on “Enrichment of the MedWet Inventory Method: Exploring applications of Remote Sensing techniques and of Spatial Data Infrastructures”. The workshop is organized by EKBY in the frame of the INTERREG IIIC (2005-2007) MedWet/CODDE project and will be held on April 2, 2006 at the EKBY premises in Thessaloniki, Greece. The workshop is dedicated only to MedWet/CODDE (INTEREG IIIC project) partners. Workshop material (proceedings, presentations) will be uploaded after the completion of the workshop. Invitation-Programme [13/03/2006]

Newsletter of the project "Assessment of the degree of expression of the functions and values of the transboundary Lake Doiran" has been released. Click here to navigate [19/01/2006]

Announcement for Advanced training seminar on "Wetland Inventory using Information Systems". The training seminar is organized by EKBY and ECAT-Tirana, with the support of MedWet Coast Albania, in the frame of the Life Third-Countries ALWET Project. It will take place in Tirana, Albania, from 31st of October to 4th of November 2005. Schedule [20/10/2005]

EKBY has recently presented in the European Nature Conference (www.natureconference.com) the cooperation between organisations from Greece and the FYROM to propose restoration measures for the transboundary Lake Doiran, in the context of a project funded by the Hellenic Aid – Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference was held from 21 to 25 September in Apeldoorn , the Netherlands .Click here for a short project description.[11/10/2005]

In the frame of the ALWET LIFE 3rd countries project, EKBY has undertaken to transfer expertise on MedWet inventorying tools to Albanian bodies involved in wetland conservation and management helping them to build capacity to undertake wetland inventorying with use of remote sensing, databases, and GIS. For this purpose a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) (Hatziiordanou and Fitoka 2005) was carried out in accordance with the guidance on training of the Convention on Wetlands. Based on its findings a series of training seminars were organized and a training package is being developed. More [28/9/2005]  

EKBY takes part at the "Public awareness on water resources management plans of Central and East Macedonia's water districts" meetings. The meetings are organised by the Greek ministry of Development, in cooperation with "ENM Exarhou, Nikolopoulos, Bensasson Consultants Mechanics" company and with the support of the Region of Central Macedonia and the Region of East Macedonia-Thrace, in the frame of the project "Development of hydroinformatic systems for water resources management planning in Thrace and Makedonia". The aim of the project is a) to collect and organize into a GIS system any kind of data related to water resources, b) to simulate the current water resources management, c) to assess the cost of water use, and d) to elaborate water resources management plans for each Water Basin District. The first meeting was held in Thessaloniki (Hotel Astoria, Tsimiski and Salaminos 9) on 27th of September 2005 and the second will be held on 29th of September 2005 in Komotini (Hotel Xenia, Sismanoglou 43) from 8:30 to 14:30. EKBY presents the "Use of modern geographic information systems and hydrological simulation on the elaboration of Water resources management plans". [28/09/2005]

On 6th of June 2005, the Beginners training seminar on "Wetland Inventory using Information Systems" of the Life 3rd Countries ALWET Project was completed successfully in Tirana, Albania. The seminar was organized by EKBY and ECAT-Tirana, with the support of the MedWet Coast Project. It lasted 6 days (1-6 June) and was accompanied by a case study at the Wetland site of Narta at the region of Vlore. Trainees list  [21/06/2005]

Announcement for Beginners training seminar on "Wetland Inventory using Information Systems". The training seminar is organized by ECAT-Tirana and EKBY in the frame of the Life Third-Countries ALWET Project and will be held in Tirana, Albania, from 1 June to 6 June 2005. Schedule [30/05/2005]

The new leaflet for the project Life "Rehabilitation of coppice Quercus ilex woods (9340) and Quercus frainetto woods (9280) of Mount Athos" was released. The leaflet in pdf format. [25/05/05]  

On 4th of March 2005, the 1st training seminar "Train the trainers on Wetland Inventory using Information Systems" of the ALWET Project was completed successfully at EKBY's premises. Press release - List of participants [01/04/2005]

Announcement for training seminar on "Wetland Inventory using Information Systems". The training seminar is organized by EKBY in the frame of the Life Third-Countries ALWET Project and will be held at EKBY's premises, from 28 February to 4 March 2005. Schedule [02/02/2005]

Press release. February 2nd. World Wetlands Day. [02/02/2005]

The Board of ECNC-The European Centre for Nature Conservation held its annual meeting at the offices of the Greek Biotope Wetland Centre (EKBY) in Thessaloniki on 12 November 2004. Mrs Nicki Goulandris, president of the Goulandris Natural History Museum in Greece, is an honorary Vice President of ECNC and attended the Board meeting in the EKBY offices. During its meeting, the ECNC Board discussed amongst other things the possibilities to increase cooperation with EKBY in South-East Europe. Press release - Photograph [16/11/2004]

ΕΚΒΥ΄s new publication - "Transboundary cooperation for the conservation of Lake Doiran". Considering that Lake Doiran straddles the border of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, it goes without saying that any attempt to improve the status of the lake will require bilateral cooperation. This was the challenge faced by The Goulandris Natural History Museum-Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY) and the non-governmental organization “Society for the Investigation and Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development of Natural Ecosystems (BIOECO)”. The two organizations carry out a joint two-year project entitled “Assessment of the degree of expression of the functions and values of the transboundary Lake Doiran”. The project is funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the framework of the Bilateral Development Aid Programme, (DAC). In the context of the project a leaflet was produced aiming at public awareness on the lake, the problem it faces and the project actions. The leaflet is in greek, english and the language of FYROM. You can download the leaflet in pdf-Acrobat format.

CD-ROM on Lake Kerkini (Produced in March 2004). The SPIN-Spatial Indicators for European Nature Conservation project was an EC FP5 project that aimed to develop and test an Earth Observation based and spatial explicit indicator system in order to support monitoring and management for protected sites of European importance. Comparative regional case studies were performed in a pan-European transect in order to gain a critical mass of knowledge about the ecological and practical validity of indicators, conservation practices and threats to protected sites. Lake Kerkini was the test site for the SPIN project in Greece. It lies in Northern Greece, at the central part of Makedonia (Macedonia). It is a complex of wetland and mountain ecosystems of great national and international importance. It comprises the Lake Kerkini (core area) and the Greek part of its cathcment area. The Kerkini catchment coincides with the River Strymon catchment with a total area of 1,152,000 ha of which 1,077,500 ha lie in Bulgaria. Lake Kerkini is a large artificial freshwater lake created on the site of a former natural swamp, after the construction of a dam across the Strymon river in 1932, primarily for flood control. Subsequently, the irrigation and the biological values also developed. The lake and its riparian areas are important habitats for migratory bird species. In total the area hosts 102 breeding bird species, 171 migrating species and 171 wintering species. Fish fauna includes at least 30 species. The fluctuations of water level affect the aquatic vegetation and the avifauna of the site. Preservation of biodiversity needs regulation of the water level with predetermined upper and lower limits. The characteristics of Lake Kerkini, the conservation issues that need to be addressed for the lake, the methods and the data used by EKBY in order to address these conservation issues in the context of the SPIN project, and the results produced are presented in a CD-ROM for Lake Kerkini. [March 2004]