Search

The impact of tourism activities on local water resources remains a largely understudied issue in environmental and sustainable tourism management. The aim of the paper is to present a simple methodology that allows an estimate of direct and indirect local water use associated with different holiday packages and to then discuss relevant management implications. This is explored through the creation of five illustrative examples of holidays to semi-arid eastern Mediterranean destinations: Cyprus (2), Turkey, Greece and Syria. Using available data on water use associated with different forms of travel, accommodation and tourist activities, indicative water footprints are calculated for each of the illustrative examples. Food consumption by tourists appears to have by far the most significant impact on the overall water footprint and this aspect of water use is explored in detail in the paper. The paper also suggests a way of employing the water footprint methodology along with import/export balance sheets of main food commodities to distinguish between the global and local pressure of tourism demand on water resources. Water resource use is likely to become an increasingly important issue in tourism management and must be considered alongside more established environmental concerns such as energy use, using methodologies that can capture direct as well as supply chain impacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The governance of protected areas has experienced rapid advancement over the last two decades with regard to the inclusion of stakeholders and local communities into the management process. During the same period Greek biodiversity governance has been characterized by a shift, at least on paper, towards the adoption of participatory approaches primarily through the establishment of management agencies. However, this has not been institutionalized for the majority of Natura 2000 sites, thus posing questions on the existence, nature, and effectiveness of participation in sites with no management agency. This is the first conducted large scale, cross level participation analysis for Greek Natura 2000 sites enabling the formation of a representative picture of the situation in the country. We investigated the nature and role of participation in Greek biodiversity governance by exploring both general opinions regarding the national context of participation in Greek Natura 2000 network as well as site-specific opinions regarding three case study areas where Natura 2000 sites have been established. Overall, we analyzed the results of 96 interviews, conducted with national, regional and local level stakeholders and 734 questionnaires conducted with local communities of the three case study areas. Results indicate with non-significant difference among governance levels, or between case study sites, that stakeholders'' participation exists mainly on paper whereas community participation is practically absent. Stakeholder engagement seems to take place through administrational documentation across levels and to be locally confined based mainly on personal contacts and initiatives. Interviewees and survey respondents indicated a preference towards improving stakeholders'' participation and the community's engagement in the management of Natura 2000 sites. Overall, the results of this study revealed the urgent need for policy initiatives towards adopting meaningful, fair and collaborative two-way forms of participation through the development and implementation of facilitation, participation and engagement guidance and training programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the findings of a prototype study which sought to identify factors that contribute to effective emergency management in Greece and other European states regarding both natural disasters and critical accidents. The parameters for proper action and successful intervention in operational and logistical are identified based on the document analysis and interviews with emergency responders. The interviews are conducted between state-owned and voluntary organizations. They were asked to rate in terms of their importance for effective emergency response efforts. This paper offers useful information of the organization and management of emergency response in Greece, as well as provides interesting responders’ opinions data concerning important priorities in the emergency management area. Despite the fact that the data come from the Greek experience, the conclusions may be applied for a broader use in the emergency planning of disasters. The whole study has been undertaken within the European Pre-Emergencies (PreEm) project. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a well-established eco-hydrological model that has been extensively applied to watersheds across the globe. This work reviews over two decades (2002–2022) of SWAT studies conducted on Mediterranean watersheds. A total of 260 articles have been identified since the earliest documented use of the model in a Mediterranean catchment back in 2002; of which 62% were carried out in Greece, Italy, or Spain. SWAT applications increased significantly in recent years since 86% of the reviewed papers were published in the past decade. A major objective for most of the reviewed works was to check the applicability of SWAT to specific watersheds. A great number of publications included procedures of calibration and validation and reported performance results. SWAT applications in the Mediterranean region mainly cover water resources quantity and quality assessment and hydrologic and environmental impacts evaluation of land use and climate changes. Nevertheless, a tendency towards a multi-purpose use of SWAT is revealed. The numerous examples of SWAT combined with other tools and techniques outline the model's flexibility. Several studies performed constructive comparisons between Mediterranean watersheds' responses or compared SWAT to other models or methods. The effects of inputs on SWAT outputs and innovative model modifications and improvements were also the focus of some of the surveyed articles. However, a significant number of studies reported difficulties regarding data availability, as these are either scarce, have poor resolution or are not freely available. Therefore, it is highly recommended to identify and develop accurate model inputs and testing data to optimize the SWAT performance. [Display omitted] • SWAT review on Mediterranean hydro-climatic studies. • Lack of SWAT assessment on Mediterranean catchments. • A comparison of data from different Mediterranean basins. • Enhancing data availability for SWAT applications. • Developing a comprehensive knowledge of Mediterranean watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring of marine litter at the sea surface, the beaches and the seafloor is essential to understanding their sources, pathways and sinks and design effective clean-up programs or increase public awareness for reducing litter waste. Up until today, seafloor litter is the least exploited component of marine litter. Although the protocols for recording and assessing seafloor litter in the deep-sea environments are currently being actively defined and practiced, shallow seafloor litter survey protocols are still notably under-developed. Moreover, trawling for fishing, which is the main means for collecting seafloor litter data, needs to be phased out in the coming years due to its high environmental footprint and be replaced by less destructive ways based on underwater imagery. In this paper we propose an integrated approach for assessing in detail the spatiotemporal distribution and composition of seafloor litter in shallow coastal environments, using common towed underwater cameras. Effort has been put to correctly estimating spatial litter densities regarding the true coverage of the visualized area, which was efficiently extracted through photogrammetric reconstruction of the seafloor. Interpretation of the spatial distribution of litter was aided by auxiliary bathymetric and swath sonar backscatter datasets, to determine the seabed geomorphological features that control their dispersion and composition. Local geo-morphology, along with any reported coastal anthropogenic activity, are correlated to seafloor litter densities to investigate the temporal and spatial dynamics that control their distribution and temporal trends in Syros Island, Cyclades, Greece. There, in the context of LIFE DEBAG project, monitoring of an urbanized shallow bay for 3 consecutive years has been performed to assess the impact of an intensive local awareness raising campaign to the local environment. A significant reduction of litter densities under the impact of this campaign has been documented, while links between the seafloor litter transport dynamics and the seabed micro- and macro-topography were made evident. Monitoring litter densities on the seafloor of urbanized shallow bays proved to be a prospective way of tracking marine litter pressures on the local marine environment. • A shallow benthic litter monitoring protocol, based on Towed Underwater Camera (TUC), is proposed and validated. • The spatiotemporal benthic litter variations are linked to natural and anthropogenic drivers. • Seabed morphology and seafloor hydrodynamics are shown to control litter accumulation. • Significance of monitoring seafloor litter in urbanized bays: Narrowing sources and dynamics to comprehensible scales. • First Proof of an awareness raising campaign ceasing marine litter pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Managing Protected Areas (PAs) is a challenging task, and globally many instruments have been utilised for this purpose. Existing research demonstrates that the effectiveness of these instruments is highly dependent on their social acceptability among local communities resident within PAs. Consequently, investigating local attitudes and perceptions of Protected Area (PA) policies has been emphasised in recent studies. Drawing on empirical work conducted in two National Parks including river delta ecosystems designated as Ramsar wetlands in northern Greece, this paper examines local residents'' perceptions of three hypothesized policy options (regulatory, market-based and participatory) for Park management. The influence of social capital elements (social trust, institutional trust and social networks) on residents'' perceptions is explored. The findings reveal a high degree of importance attached by resident communities to Park designation in both PAs, though residents'' perceptions of the proposed management options varied. The regulatory option was regarded as the least restrictive, while the most restrictive was perceived to be the market-based option. However, greater benefits were identified by residents from the market-based option, while the fewest benefits were considered to arise from the proposed regulatory option. Furthermore, local residents'' perceptions were significantly shaped by the proposed management and decision-making structure offered under each policy option. The influence of different social capital elements on residents'' perceptions also varied in the study sample, with social trust and institutional trust positively correlated with the benefits that were perceived to arise from the different policy options. Moreover, when social capital was measured as an aggregate indicator at the level of the individual, it was positively correlated with perceived environmental benefits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The emergence of sustainability as a goal in the management of fossil fuel resources is a result of the growing global environmental concern, and highlights some of the issues expected to be significant in coming years. In order to secure social acceptance, the mining industry has to face these challenges by engaging its many different stakeholders and examining their sustainability concerns. For this reason a questionnaire was conducted involving a simple random sampling of inhabitants near an area rich in fossil fuel resources, in order to gather respondents’ views on social, economic and environmental benefits. The study discusses new subnational findings on public attitudes to regional sustainability, based on a quantitative research design. The site of the study was the energy-rich Greek region of Kozani, Western Macedonia, one of the country’s energy hubs. The paper examines the future perspectives of the area. The conclusions can form a useful framework for energy policy in the wider Balkan area, which contains important fossil fuel resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper develops an integrated framework to evaluate land suitability for wind farm siting that combines multi-criteria analysis (MCA) with geographical information systems (GIS); an application of the proposed framework for the island of Lesvos, Greece, is further illustrated. A set of environmental, economic, social, and technical constraints, based on recent Greek legislation, identifies the potential sites for wind power installation. Furthermore, the area under consideration is evaluated by a variety of criteria, such as wind power potential, land cover type, electricity demand, visual impact, land value, and distance from the electricity grid. The pair-wise comparison method in the context of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to estimate the criteria weights in order to establish their relative importance in site evaluation. The overall suitability of the study region for wind farm siting is appraised through the weighted summation rule. Results showed that only a very small percentage of the total area of Lesvos could be suitable for wind farm installation, although favourable wind potential exists in many more areas of the island. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The European Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC has defined the need for the conservation of habitats and species with the adoption of appropriate measures. Within the Natura 2000 ecological network of special areas of conservation, natural habitats will be monitored to ensure the maintenance or restoration of their composition, structure and extent. The European Space Agency's GlobWetland project has provided remotely sensed products for several Ramsar wetlands worldwide, such as detailed land cover–land use, water cycle and inundated vegetation maps. This paper presents the development and testing of an operational methodology for updating a wetland's habitat map using the GlobWetland products, and the evaluation of the extent to which GlobWetland products have contributed to the habitat map updating. The developed methodology incorporated both automated and analyst-supervised techniques to photo-interpret, delineate, refine, and evaluate the updated habitat polygons. The developed methodology was proven successful in its application to the wetland complex of the Axios–Loudias–Aliakmon delta (Greece). The resulting habitat map met the European and Greek national requirements. Results revealed that GlobWetland products were a valuable contribution, but source data (enhanced satellite images) were necessary to discriminate spectrally similar habitats. Finally, the developed methodology can be modified for original habitat mapping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bioproducts, such as energy and fertilizers, are strongly interrelated with the biodegradable waste treatment processes, within a holistic management strategy. Although different forms of biological treatment technologies are available, anaerobic digestion represents a process of major importance in the overall management strategy of biodegradable waste. This paper presents a methodology to support decision making for efficient management of biodegradable waste. The decision support framework provides the background towards the selection and design of a biodegradable waste installation with emphasis on the recovery of energy and organic fertilizer. The discrete steps are analytically defined and illustrated to assist managers and policy makers to organize their decision making in the whole spectrum of procedures required to promote sustainable biodegradable waste management programs. The methodological approach developed can be generically applied by public authorities, producers and stakeholders following essential basic steps regarding safe and environmentally friendly production of high-quality final product. Moreover, a demonstration is performed for a real-case study for the Region of Serres, Greece. The proposed installation is expected to manage 3,285 t of biodegradable waste and generate approximately 160,000 m3/a of biogas, 400 MWh el /a and 450 MWh thermal /a. The final bioproduct exceeds 3 kt of digestate that will be valorized in arable land close to the installation. Crucial interactions and managerial insights are also highlighted. The decision support framework aims to assist the research community, the private sector and decision makers to produce affordable and sustainable compost/digestate recovered from waste, also supporting the transition to a low carbon future and sustainable -circular- development. • Methodology to support decision for efficient management of biodegradable waste. • Emphasis on the recovery of energy and organic fertilizer via anaerobic digestion. • Demonstration for a real-life agricultural intensive area in Greece. • 3285 t of waste generate 160,000 m3/a of biogas and 3121 t of digestate. • The proposed installation is depreciated within a 7-to-8-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of renewable energy sources instead of conventional energy sources is at the core of policy actions to reduce dependency on fossil fuels worldwide. As a result, especially during the last decade, the cost of renewable energy has significantly decreased, enriching renewable energy cost-competitiveness. Due to the spatial nature of renewable energy sector-related decisions, the synergy of geographical information systems (GIS) and Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) models can enrich the quality of the related decisions given their ability to effectively support land management considerations. Moreover, their implementation significantly enriches the performance of the traditional capital projects evaluation methods (CPEM) by providing physical data to the sizing process in a quick and accurate manner. Thus, decision-making frameworks that combine GIS-based suitability analysis with traditional financial evaluation techniques can significantly enrich the planning phase to achieve efficient installations in terms of required area reduction, power generation maximization and local characteristics examination. With respect to the realization of wind energy exploitation projects, the paper at hand proposes a framework capable of expanding the use of the traditional GIS-based derived suitability index to establishing portfolios. Moreover, the proposed framework is enriched by robust analysis using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS), which provides significant insights regarding the stability of the derived portfolios and the projects that they comprise. The proposed framework is illustrated through a case study in the Thrace region in northeastern Greece. • Wind farms portfolio formation combining spatial and nonspatial attributes. • Simulation provides computational efficiency in modeling uncertainty and imprecise knowledge. • Portfolio Selection Index provides a measure of the derived portfolios stability. • Portfolio Alternative Selection Index measures the eligibility of the examined wind farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to support the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) implementation in Greece, by synthesizing an indicator that could be used for abiotic attribute assessments and specifically for geodiversity. Such an indicator can be used not only for reporting obligations under EU initiatives but also for identifying "conservation hotspots". Such areas, characterized by rich geodiversity, are important for supporting biodiversity and other ecosystem services. In addition, identification and mapping of threats to those areas, due to natural or anthropogenic processes, can be used for the introduction or reformation of protective environmental legislation. The geodiversity indicator has been compiled using geological, geomorphological, climatic, pedological and hydrological data layers, while threats to geodiversity have been produced by integrating the sub-indices of erosion, protection level, land degradation, mineral and/or ore extraction activity, and the concentration of wildfire ignition sites. Finally, a bivariate map highlights geodiversity "hotspots" in Greece, which were found to correspond in most cases with locations of rich geodiversity and poor protection from adverse natural or human induced processes, mainly due to the lack of protective legislation. The study's outcomes provide a baseline for scientifically informed decisions for conservation, management and spatial planning, while simultaneously complying with EU and national legislation and strategies for nature conservation and integrated development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In Europe, regions in the Mediterranean area share common characteristics in terms of high sensitivity to climate change impacts. Does this translate into specificities regarding climate action that could arise from these Mediterranean characteristics? This paper sheds light on regional and local climate mitigation actions of the Mediterranean Europe, focusing on the plans to reduce greenhouse gases emissions in a representative sample of 51 regions and 73 cities across 9 Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain). The study investigates: (i) the availability of local and regional mitigation plans, (ii) their goals in term of greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets on the short and medium-long term, and (iii) the impact of transnational climate networks on such local and regional climate mitigation planning. Results of this study indicate an uneven and fragmented planning, that shows a Mediterranean West-East divide, and a link with population size. However, overall, both regional and city action seem insufficiently ambitious with regards to meeting the Paris Agreement, at least at city level. While national frameworks are currently weak in influencing regional and local actions, transnational networks seem to be engaging factors for commitment (at city level) and ambitiousness (at regional level). The uneven and fragmented progress revealed by this study, does not align with the characteristics shared by investigated regions and cities in terms of environmental, socio-political, climatic and economic conditions. The results support the call of a common green deal at the Mediterranean level to further address specific Mediterranean challenges and related needs. This will allow to capitalise on available resources, generate local-specific knowledge, build capacities, and support Mediterranean regions and cities in preparing the next generation of more ambitious mitigation plans., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pesticide leaching models is an easy and cost effective method used in the prediction of surface and groundwater pollution. In this paper, the ability of two pesticide leaching models, MACRO and PEARL, to describe soil water dynamics and atrazine's transport through the soil profile was examined. The data used for the comparison was obtained from an experiment in an irrigated corn field in the plain of the Ardas River, in north-eastern Greece. Both models were parameterized using pedotransfer functions, field and laboratory data. The uncalibrated simulation showed several discrepancies, therefore the retention curve and the sorption parameters were calibrated according to the trial and error method. The comparison of both models indicated that soil water flow was described similarly. The simulated results of atrazine's concentration were evaluated and compared to the measured concentrations at specific depths, using statistical criteria. Atrazine transport was simulated in a satisfactory manner as confirmed by model efficiency (EF) values, that are very close to unit. Coefficient of residual mass (CRM) values for both models are positive, indicating that both models underestimate the measured data. MACRO estimated higher accumulated actual evapotranspiration values, and less percolated water from soil profile than PEARL, and as a result, change in water content was higher in the latter. PEARL also predicted that half the amount of the applied mass was decayed two days earlier than the day estimated by MACRO. Generally, MACRO simulated the fate of atrazine in soil better than PEARL., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present paper focuses on a largely unexplored field of landfill-site valorization in combination with the construction and operation of a centralized olive mill wastewater (OMW) treatment facility. The latter consists of a wastewater storage lagoon, a compact anaerobic digester operated all year round and a landfill-based final disposal system. Key elements for process design, such as wastewater pre-treatment, application method and rate, and the potential effects on leachate quantity and quality, are discussed based on a comprehensive literature review. Furthermore, a case-study for eight (8) olive mill enterprises generating 8700 m(3) of wastewater per year, was conceptually designed in order to calculate the capital and operational costs of the facility (transportation, storage, treatment, final disposal). The proposed facility was found to be economically self-sufficient, as long as the transportation costs of the OMW were maintained at ≤4.0 €/m(3). Despite that EU Landfill Directive prohibits wastewater disposal to landfills, controlled application, based on appropriately designed pre-treatment system and specific loading rates, may provide improved landfill stabilization and a sustainable (environmentally and economically) solution for effluents generated by numerous small- and medium-size olive mill enterprises dispersed in the Mediterranean region., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Current international research focuses on topics like sustainable development, regional planning, environmental decision making and implementation, biodiversity conservation plus a number of other relevant issues, especially at times of economic crisis as today. Economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand, provided that decision makers develop and use tools and insights targeting in the implementation of successful and robust long term policies. This paper was developed in the framework of a European research project and implements a Multicriteria Mathematical Programming model that optimises the sustainable management of agricultural regions taking in account the available resources (land, labour, capital) and environmental parameters (agrochemicals, water consumption). The model achieves the optimum farm plan in the area combining different criteria to a utility function under a set of constraints and the spatial integration of the vulnerability maps of the regions into the model enables the regional authorities to design policies for the optimal agricultural development and the groundwater protection from the agricultural land uses. Furthermore, the model is used to simulate different scenarios and policies by the local stakeholders, due to changes on different social, economic and environmental parameters. In this way the decision makers can achieve alternative farm plans and agricultural land uses as well as to estimate economic, social and environmental impacts of different policies. The model has been applied to an agricultural region in Northern Greece and proved to be a valuable tool in the implementation of environmental policies and actions, especially in agricultural regions in a delicate balance as the study area., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Existing and projected water shortages and related factors have helped focus attention on the need for water reuse. With recent technological advances in wastewater treatment, it is now possible to produce reclaimed water of any quality. Thus, the use of reclaimed water will depend on the reuse opportunities and the cost of the required infrastructure. Historically, centralized wastewater treatment facilities have served the needs of organized societies since the mid 1800s. However, as there are limited options for expansion of most existing centralized facilities, the use of satellite and decentralized wastewater management systems offers significant advantages including being close both to the source of wastewater generation and to potential water reuse applications. The comparative advantages of satellite and decentralized wastewater management systems for a number of water reuse applications are presented and discussed in this paper. Selected case studies are presented to demonstrate the utility of satellite and decentralized wastewater management. Specific issues associated with the application of such systems in existing and in new developments are examined and discussed.

Forests and forestlands are common inheritance for all Greeks and a piece of the national wealth that must be handed over to the next generations in the best possible condition. After 1974, Greece faces a severe forest fire problem and forest fire forecasting is the process that will enable the Greek ministry of Agriculture to reduce the destruction. This paper describes the basic design principles of an Expert System that performs forest fire forecasting (for the following fire season) and classification of the prefectures of Greece into forest fire risk zones. The Expert system handles uncertainty and uses heuristics in order to produce scenarios based on the presence or absence of various qualitative factors. The initial research focused on the construction of a mathematical model which attempted to describe the annual number of forest fires and burnt area in Greece based on historical data. However this has proven to be impossible using regression analysis and time series. A closer analysis of the fire data revealed that two qualitative factors dramatically affect the number of forest fires and the hectares of burnt areas annually. The first is political stability and national elections and the other is drought cycles. Heuristics were constructed that use political stability and drought cycles, to provide forest fire guidance. Fuzzy logic was applied to produce a fuzzy expected interval for each prefecture of Greece. A fuzzy expected interval is a narrow interval of values that best describes the situation in the country or a part of the country for a certain time period. A successful classification of the prefectures of Greece in forest fire risk zones was done by the system, by comparing the fuzzy expected intervals to each other. The system was tested for the years 1994 and 1995. The testing has clearly shown that the system can predict accurately, the number of forest fires for each prefecture for the following year. The average accuracy was as high as 85.25% for 1995 and 80.89% for 1994. This makes the Expert System a very important tool for forest fire prevention planning.