Title: Enhancing Small-Medium IsLands resilience by securing the sustainability of Ecosystem Services
Funding agency: EU COST Actions
Budget (Total and for Harokopio University): Networking Action / No institutional budget
Project duration: 48 months
Principal Investigator: Evangelia Drakou
Description: European islands are hotspots of biological and cultural diversity, which, compared to mainland, are more vulnerable to climate change, tourism development, uncontrolled land use changes and financial crisis. Although ecosystem services (ES) assessments have been carried out worldwide in different geographical areas, islands are still underrepresented. Despite the islands’s importance and vulnerability, efforts to date have focused solely on the pressures they face. The aim of this action is to provide a platform for coordinated interdisciplinary research on several aspects of mapping and assessment of ES in small and medium European Islands in order to synthesize and strengthen the knowledge base for conservation of island realms and contribute to their sustainable development.
Keywords: islands – ecosystem services – resilience – landscapes – seascapes