under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou..
Look Back at the Past:
From its inception, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature has pioneered in the creation of National Parks and Protected Areas, in the modernization of the Greek Environmental legislation, and in the protection of natural habitats and endangered fauna and flora species.
The inspiration to found the HSPN came from its first General Secretary Iakovos Santorinaios, a member of the Hellenic Mountaineering Association (HMA). It was on his initiative that the Ministry of Agriculture in 1938 was persuaded to establish Mt Olympus and Mt Parnassos as National Parks, placing Greece amongst the first European countries to create protected areas.
Most of the founding members of the HSPN came from the HMA, and many were significant figures in science and culture; they were also pioneers in stressing the importance of environmental issues even at a time when ecology and environmental protection were not only unfamiliar words, but also unknown concepts. Eleven of its members were academics, and six of these were or later became academicians. Among them were Elias Venezis, Spyros Marinatos, Caesar Alexopoulos, and Maximos Mitsopoulos who was the first president of the HSPN. As early as 1952, with the significant contribution of Elias Venezis, the first educational leaflets on nature and nature protection were published for students and teachers and were sent to all schools in Greece. This occurred almost forty years before there was any institutional recognition of the importance of environmental education in our country.
The main goal of the HSPN at this time was the protection of the wildlife and natural beauty in the rich ecosystems of Greece. The gorge of Samaria was the first big and successful conservational step of the then newly established HSPN. After continual efforts over a decade, Samaria was proclaimed a National Park (1962) and the protection of the wild Cretan Goat was achieved.
In the 60's and 70's, the HSPN concentrated its efforts on the Evros Delta and on the protection of Prespa. These efforts culminated with the proclamation of Prespa as a National Park in 1974.
1971 was probably the highlight of all of our Society’s achievements to date, and perhaps also the most important event in the history of Greek nature protection: this year marked the signing of the international RAMSAR convention for the protection of wetlands. On February the 2nd, 1971, in the city of Ramsar, Iran, our country was officially represented by Byron Antipas, general secretary and the soul of HSPN for 35 years. He was the only Greek dignitary present, and showed himself then as later on as perhaps the leading figure in the history of environmental protection in our country.
Simultaneously, the HSPN focused its attention on recording the status of the important wetlands in northern Greece, and began a battle for the protection of endangered bird species. In 1979, for the first time ever publicly noted, it pointed out the great danger to birds from poisoned baits – a threat which, unfortunately, still remains very much with us today. At the same time, it highlighted the need to protect the Mediterranean seal and sea turtle populations.
In the 80's the HSPN highlighted the importance of the Louros River and Arachthos Delta in Amvrakikos Lagoon, of the Aliki (saltpans) Kitrou in Pieria, of Lake Kerkini, Mt Oiti and Rodopi mountains, and of Lake Ismarida.
In the 1990s, the HSPN took a leading position in various environmental battles and it contributed to annulment of the law "on pastures", while it also played an important role, along with other organizations, in the establishment of the Society for the Protection of Prespa. The SPP has gone on to change the future of the region and has provided over the past 30 years a model of integrated management at a Greek and international level.
During these decades, through the continuous efforts of Byron Antipas to attract and also to support the youth of Greece, the HSPN became a nursery for the creation of other more specialized environmental organizations such as the Hellenic Ornithological Society, “Archelon” or the Association for the Protection of the Sea Turtle, and the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Mediterranean Seal (MOM).
In 1992, the HSPN began its management of the well-known programme "Blue Flags". In addition, in 1993 it started its participation in the campaign against the diversion of the Acheloos river. This campaign after almost 30 years, unfortunately, is ongoing.
Starting in 1995, the HSPN has coordinated five Environmental Education Networks, three international and two national, all approved by the Ministry of Education. Over 500 schools have participated every year in these networks with thousands of students from all parts of Greece (at the kindergarten, primary and the secondary school levels). In all these networks, a crucial and necessary element in their success has been the active cooperation with the local communities. In 2009, the HSPN founded the Green Key programme for tourist businesses in Greece.
The HSPN is the coordinator and the representative of the (International) Foundation for Environmental Education, or FEE, in Greece, and has been operating 3 of FEE”s global Environmental Education and Awareness Programmes since 1992, as well as 2 of its own. Since 2016, the current President of the HSPN, Mr. Nikos G. Petrou, has been an active member of the FEE Board of Directors. The HSPN is also a member of other international environmental organizations such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It collaborates closely with other major Greek environmental NGOs on common goals, and with bodies of the State and Local Self-Government, as well as with foreign organizations, institutions and universities for the implementation of transnational nature- protection projects.
In order to carry out its mission it relies not only on the members on its Board of Directors and its executive staff, but on an extensive network of volunteers, many of whom are university professors and instructors and specialist scientists.
important European LIFE projects; environmental education; sustainable management in the tourism sector with the "Blue Flag" and "Green Key" programmes, and public awareness initiatives such as a public speakers’ programme and educational excursions
The HSPN has been honoured for its work by the Academy of Athens, the Council of Europe and by the the Ford Foundation.
Just how the HSPN conducts its affairs is reflected in the words of Petros Brousalis, the then General Secretary the HSPN, in his speech at the festive event for the 40th anniversary of the Society, in 1991:
"... Since its inception, our organization has avoided the adoption of extreme positions on environmental protection issues. It always believes that progress in this sector can be achieved only with realistic planning and with programmes that move within feasible and practical limits ...Without the understanding and consent of public opinion, it is difficult to take the necessary measures for progress and, even more so, for them to be implemented effectively ... "
