The island of Crete, home to the Asterousia Mountain Range Biosphere Reserve, is rich in archaeological heritage and natural areas of high ecological value, hosting more than 55% of the island’s animal and plant species and many local villages still rely on freshwater springs running from the Asterousia Mountains.
The 26 selected participants from 10 South-East European and Mediterranean countries (13 international and 11 national) participated in a weeklong series of presentations and activities.
On the first day, Francesca Bampa, Project Officer, Science unit, gave a talk about UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) and activities conducted by the UNESCO Regional Bureau. This was followed by a presentation from Theano Vrentzou, President of the Local Management Committee of Asterousia Biosphere Reserve, and lectures on Integrated Management from Heraklion Development Agency.
Michael Scoullos, UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development Management and Education in the Mediterranean, GWP-Med and MIO-ECSDE Chairperson and MEdIES Coordinator, lectured on “Water in our days with emphasis on integrated Water Management in Biosphere Reserves”.
In the following days, participants met local wine and bread producers, visited a women’s agricultural cooperative, learnt about water in culture, explored the landscape via a boat tour in the South Cretan Sea, visited the Monasteries and did a beach litter-picking activity. The final day was dedicated to workshops and group-work sessions; participants reached conclusions following the discussions, lectures and especially after the synthetic group work, based on the case studies shared by participants.
Feedback collected from participants showed that the many experiential and outdoor activities in the rich and varied programme were fruitful. The opportunity was given to network with experts from Greece and other countries and, at the same time, interact with the local population living in the heart of the Asterousia Biosphere Reserve.
