News & Events
Participatory Workshop Highlights Biodiversity Priorities for Greek Aquaculture & Fisheries
On 22 May 2025, the BIOTRAILS project held its second participatory workshop in Athens, Greece, bringing together key actors from the fisheries and aquaculture value chain. The event was co-organised by the Hellenic Aquaculture Producers’ Organisation (HAPO) and Harokopio University of Athens (HUA), both core partners of the project.
The workshop was a key milestone in co-designing policy and market interventions that support biodiversity conservation and promote sustainability in one of the most strategic agri-food sectors of the Mediterranean. The aim was to identify biodiversity-relevant actions and accelerate the transition toward a more sustainable future scenario.
Led by Dr. Evangelia Drakou, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Harokopio University, the event featured two participatory sessions and presented several key insights. Participants represented a diverse mix of stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia, and civil society, reflecting the collaborative ethos of BIOTRAILS.
Two thematic stakeholder groups emerged during the sessions. A policy-oriented group focused on identifying leverage points and aligning existing frameworks with sustainability goals. A second group actively engaged in the validation of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) results, offering critical feedback and contextual expertise.
Cross-cutting themes that emerged included the crucial role of education in promoting sustainability, the need to increase consumer awareness, and the importance of enhancing aquatic impact management practices. Participants also emphasised the urgent threat posed by climate change, especially rising sea temperatures, and the need to integrate adaptive strategies into long-term planning.
The workshop was supported by representatives of the Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food, researchers from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, and aquaculture professionals, further underlining the event’s cross-sectoral scope.
Contributions from BIOTRAILS consortium partners included:
- Raffaele Giordano (CNR): State of BIOTRAILS implementation in Greece and upcoming activities
- Johannes Stahl (ADEL): Leverage point analysis and participatory feasibility mapping
- Vasileia Pentsiou (DRAXIS): Climate projections and risk assessment for the Mediterranean
- Charis Chalkiadakis (HUA): SEM methodology and validation through participatory exercise
- Sotiris Kotaridis (DRAXIS): ESG toolkit for fisheries and aquaculture
- Katerina Lytra (HAPO): Reflections on implementing sustainable practices in the sector
The workshop reaffirmed the importance of transdisciplinary collaboration in designing grounded, context-specific strategies for biodiversity conservation across Mediterranean fisheries and aquaculture systems. BIOTRAILS will continue supporting this process through further stakeholder engagement and knowledge co-production.