On March 17th, 2025, the island of Alonissos hosted the First Multi-Stakeholder Forum, as part of the ongoing study on the “Evaluation of Entrance Fee Policy and Socioeconomic Impacts at the Alonissos-Northern Sporades National Marine Park” organized by our team, AE4RIA, led by Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri, alongside the researchers Dr. Ebun Akinsete, Dr. Conrad Landis, Lydia Papadaki, and Eirini Afentouli.
The workshop brought together mainly local community members, including citizens and representatives from the municipality, as well as key stakeholders from academia, NGOs, and public authorities, to collaboratively discuss the role and importance of Greece’s largest marine protected area.
During this first workshop, participants were presented the various ecosystem services, as well as examples relevant to the Alonissos island and worked in teams to prioritize the advantages supplied by the Alonissos Marine Park, ranking them according to their importance to the local community’s well-being and economy. The second exercise focused on the problems encountered by the park’s previously listed key ecosystem services. Important topics were raised throughout these discussions.
This First Multi-Stakeholder Forum was an essential step towards co-creating policies that combine environmental preservation and socioeconomic success, ensuring that Alonissos’ unique natural heritage thrives alongside the community.
