The Greek forests in the 21st century

An inquiry in the light of conservation, local economic ecosystems and the commons

 

A discussion of forests today can start with conservation and expand to potential uses by their neighboring communities. But in this discussion a number of questions can easily arise. What would new public actions and policies for forests look like? What would be the role of the wider public sector, from the forestry department to local authorities, and what would be the role of local communities? How could there be partnerships at the local level with actors in the wider Social Solidarity Economy, such as the usually overlooked forest and rural cooperatives? What can we learn from historical examples in Greece and how have some of them survived to the present day? This dossier seeks to shed light on aspects of the public debate and to trace parts of a contemporary pattern of multi-level forest management.

Illustration: Yorgos Konstantinou

The articles

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“The definition of forest has been the subject of social and political struggle”

INTERVIEW
Vassilis Nitsiakos, Professor of Social Folklore Studies at the University of Ioannina, has been particularly concerned with mountain communities. In his interview with journalist Varvara Aggeli, he talks about the way in which these communities lived together with the natural environment and demonstrates that what we define as forest is determined by specific historical and political parameters.
By Varvara Aggeli and Vassilis Nitsiakos
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“Right now, Greek forests have been left to their fate”

INTERVIEW
In his interview with journalist Vasilis Kyriakoulis, Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos, the Dean of the School of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Environment at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), provides a historical overview of forest management in Greece, he highlights the state's inability to effectively invest in both wildfire prevention and suppression, while he argues that “forests are not a renewable natural resource” and that within a few decades, Greek forests “will either be confined to highly mountainous areas or disappear”.
By Vasilis Kyriakoulis and Alexandros P. Dimitrakopoulos
Δάσος του Ράντη

The Rantis Forest in Ikaria: A characteristic example of the “commons”

ARTICLE
The Rantis Forest on the island of Ikaria exemplifies a socio-ecological system where cultural practices and natural processes coexist sustainably. It represents Ostrom’s commons governance paradigm, embodying the eight principles she identified for successful common-pool resource management. This forest demonstrates how traditional ecological knowledge can effectively regulate resource use through culturally embedded collective institutions, offering valuable lessons for modern natural resource management.
By Dimitra Koumparou
Δασικές πυρκαγιές: Τρεις ειδικοί διαπιστώνουν και προτείνουν

Forest fires: Three experts identify issues and make suggestions

ARTICLE
The ever-growing problem of forest fires is manageable, provided that the state is willing to address it by making the appropriate political decisions. A key prerequisite is to rely on scientific knowledge and data, in the collection of which huge gaps still exist today. Three experts –Gabriel Xanthopoulos, Research Director at the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems; Elias Tziritis, WWF’s Forest Fire Actions Coordinator; and Zisoula Dasiou, Fire Colonel, Hellenic Fire Service, and forest engineer– point out the problems and make suggestions.
By Vassiliki Grammatikogianni
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Karditsa: Proposals for the management of forest biomass from a multi-actor partnership

ARTICLE
The Development Agency of Karditsa (D.A.K.) provided its own response to the devastating floods that swept through the Thessalian plain in the autumn of 2023 by organizing in December of the same year the 1st Hackathon Ideas Competition, aiming to develop innovative ideas in the fields of environmental sustainability and resilience against the impacts of climate change. Of particular interest was, among others, the thematic unit on forests.
By Kostis Kekeliadis
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Forestry Cooperatives: Their unknown contribution to forest protection

ARTICLE
In an attempt to explore different perspectives on what a forest is and how these ecosystems could be effectively protected, we talked with people who live and work in them daily. They are forestry workers and members of forestry cooperatives with a long history and extensive  experience in forest conservation and forest firefighting. Unfortunately, the state neither acknowledges the significance of their work nor their contribution to extinguishing the recent large-scale fires in the country.
By Stavroula Poulimeni
Δάσος Μπαίηκερ 1

Baker Forest in Northern Evia: The history of a non-public forest area

ARTICLE
A very large part of Greek forests is not publicly owned and as far as its proprietary status is concerned, it is classified as private, co-owned, possessed, jointly possessed, communal, or monastic property. By following the long story of one such non-public forest area –the Baker Forest in Northern Evia– we can essentially follow the entire history of the Greek state: its dysfunctions, inequalities, foreign dependencies, the lack of a cohesive and consistent forest policy, but also the social struggles.
By Maria Panagiotopoulou
Φόρουμ Μεσσήνη teaser image

A forum on the resilience of local communities to the impact of the climate crisis

REPORT
Addressing the challenges of the climate crisis and in particular forest fires was the main focus of the two-day forum "Dialogue & Action: Climate Crisis, Forest Fires & Resilient Places", held at Messini Town Hall, on 2 and 3 October 2024. The forum was organized by the Municipality of Messini, in cooperation with the Dock - Cooperative Space for Social Solidarity Economy and local stakeholders, with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation - Thessaloniki Office, among others.
By Kelly Dimitroulia

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