The closing event of the Green Fund funded project "Sea Guardians - Educating the Guardians of the Sea", implemented by the Coordinator Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), with partners AENAOS THALASSA, the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA) and with the scientific support of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, through the Laboratory of Ichthyology of the Department of Biology of the Aristotle was held in Alonissos, on the 8th and 9th of June 2023. During the first day of the event, a workshop was held with the presentation of the project's results and the discussion on its main thematic areas, aiming at their holistic presentation, the understanding of their specific characteristics and the submission of relevant proposals. More specifically, the themes of the workshop were:
- Protected areas - Success stories and lessons learned from other national marine conservation initiatives
- Reducing the environmental footprint of recreational craft
- Best practices and challenges in sustainable fisheries
The panel discussions were attended by representatives of institutions, academia and environmental organisations, researchers, fishermen and marine tourism professionals. On the second day of the event, Friday 9 June, we moved from theory to practice, organising coastal clean-ups on the islet of Peristera and underwater clean-ups in selected parts of the marine park, with the assistance of Alonissos diving centres.