The Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization "DEMETER"

The Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER” (HAO “DEMETER”) (https://elgo.gr/) is a Legal Entity under Private Law (NPID) that belongs to the wider Public Sector, operates for the public interest and is supervised by the Ministry of Agricultural Development & Food of the Hellenic Republic. It was established with the Joint Ministerial Decision Num. 188763 / 10-10-2011 (Government Gazette 2284 / Β / 13-10-2011). Four, until then, independently operating NPIDs, were merged into it, including the National Foundation for Agricultural Research (NAGREF), which since 1989 has been the research arm of the Ministry of Agriculture. The objectives of HAO “DEMETER” include support of actions aimed at the modernization and development of the agricultural sector of the country, by conducting research, promoting innovation and technology, providing vocational education and training, as well as by applying checks in the production and distribution chain of milk and meat in the country.

In this project, the Organization participates through the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems (IMFE), which is one of the oldest research institutes in the country. It was established in 1929 as a Forest Research Office, in the Central Forest Service. Later, in 1944, under the name “Forest Research Institute”, it functioned as a regional unit of the Forest Service. In 1989, it was incorporated into NAGREF. Since November 2011, when NAGREF was merged with HAO “DEMETER” becoming the General Directorate of Agricultural Research of the Organization, the Institute continues its operation as one of DEMETER’s Research Institutes under the new name “Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems”.

IMFE is based in Athens. Its mission is to support forestry practice in Greece through research, technology development and transfer of know-how. Its structure includes the laboratories below:

1) Landscape Architecture, Recreation and Environmental Rehabilitation

2) Forest Management and Forest Economics

3) Forest Ecology and Hydrology (Forest Ecology Lab, Forest Hydrology Lab)

4) Forest Lands and Biogeochemistry

5) Forestry Genetics and Biotechnology

6) Protection of Forest Ecosystems and Fires (Forest Fires Lab, Forest Entomology Lab, Forest Pathology Lab)

7) Forest Products and Biomass Harvesting Technology, and

8) Apiculture

 

IMFE research interests include:

• Long-term improvement of the competitiveness of the forest sector and the expansion of the use of forest products and services.
• Conservation and enrichment of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, vitality, health and resilience of forest ecosystems.
• Protection of forest ecosystems from biotic and abiotic factors.
• Contribution to the quality of life through preservation and improvement of the social, economic and cultural parameters of forests.
• Strengthening of cross-sectoral cooperation with research, technological and productive bodies to address the challenges arising from the multifunctional role of forest ecosystems.
• Study of the effects of climate and land use change on the functions of forest ecosystems.

 

IMFE plays an active role in the country’s Forest Research sector, with a large number of competitive European and national programs covering the full range of forest science. At the same time, it has offered great practical work where it was needed. One characteristic and important example is the urgent study for the “Restoration of the archaeological and wider landscape of Olympia” which burned in August 2007, and the implementation of this study under extremely pressing timeframes. For this work IMFE received an award by the presidency of the Hellenic Republic. The Institute has also contributed through research, studies and implementation to the management of several other areas of great environmental importance (e.g. Mount Mainalo, Oiti National Park).

The forest fire laboratory of the Institute is responsible for the participation of IMFE to the XENIOS project. In the last twenty years, under the leadership of senior researcher Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulos, the laboratory has been involved in numerous European and national research projects, while it has also offered significant practical work. Some of the most important research projects of the last years few years in which the laboratory has participated are:

YEAR	PROJECT
2019-2021	PREVAIL – PREVention Action Increases Large fire response preparedness- European Commission, Grant 826400 – PREVAIL – UCPM-2018-PP-AG
2018-2022	COST Action – “Fire in the Earth System: Science & Society” (FIRELINKS) – (COST Action CA18135 supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme)
2019-2021	Innovative action for the prevention of forest fires in Kythira through mobilization and cooperation of the population, as pilot in 3 settlements. Funding through the “Green Fund” of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy
2018-2021	XENIOS – Combined platform of applications for the protection and promotion of cultural and tourist sites – Hellenic Republic Ministry of Economy & Development, and European Union, European Structural and Development Funds – Programme: ESPA 2014-2020 (Research-Create-Innovate), Project code: Τ1ΕΔΚ-02219, Action Code OPS- ESPA (MIS): 5031806
2014-2017	MedWildFireLab “Understanding global change drivers, impacts & indicators on forest ecosystems: a Mediterranean-scale approach (Global Change)” – ERANet FORESTERRA (“Enhancing FOrest RESearch in the MediTERRAnean through improved coordination and integration”).
2011-2019	“Investigation of the relation between the water potential of forest plants and forest fires” – Hellenic Agriculture Organization “DEMETER”
2011-2018	“Forest fire damage cost estimation” – Hellenic Agriculture Organization “DEMETER”
2012-2015	“Methodology for calculating forest land value in Greece” – (Special Secretariat of Forests, General Direction for Development and Protection of Forests and Natural Environment, funding through the “Green Fund” of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change)
2012-2014	“Contribution to forest fire prevention in 2012-2013 with the INCA methodology” – (Special Secretariat of Forests, General Direction for Development and Protection of Forests and Natural Environment, funding through the “Green Fund” of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change)
2009-2010	INCA – “Linking civil protection and planning by agreement on objectives” –(European Commission,  DG Environment, Grant Agreement reference n° 070401/2008/507855/SUB/A3)
2009-2010	MASIFF – “Development of a methodology for the analysis of socioeconomic impact of forest fires and economic efficiency of fire management” – (Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission – Contract Notice No. 2008/S 116-154000 of 17/06/2008)
2008-2012	COST Action – “Post-Fire Forest Management in Southern Europe” – (COST Action FP0701 supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme)
2006-2009	SCIER – “Sensor & Computing Infrastructure for Environmental Risks” – (European Commission,  Proposal/Contract No.: IST-5-035164)
2006-2008	“Forest fuels standardization and management methodology in Attica” –  (Greek Ministry of Development, General Secretariat for Research and Technology, Project code: ATT-63)
2005-2010	DESURVEY – “A Surveillance System for Assessing and Monitoring Desertification” – (European Commission, 6th Framework Programme: Global Change & Ecosystems. Integrated Project Contract No. 003950)

 

Some of the activities of the Laboratory in the frame of the projects above, are presented in the following photos:

Some of the most important projects and activities of the Laboratory regarding its contribution to practice, include:

• Establishment of the daily preparation of a fire danger forecast map of the country and contribution for several years to its production for the General Secretariat of Civil Protection.
• Creation of a method for estimating the value of forest land in our country, which with the Ministerial Decision 115963/6070 / 22-10-2014, Government Gazette 2980 / Β was integrated in forest practice and has been an important tool of the forest act ever since.
• Organization or participation in numerous forest fire prevention activities in many areas across Greece.
• Participation of Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulos in a team of three other forest fire science academics from Spain and Portugal (Prof. Jose Moreno, Prof. Ramon Valejjo, Prof. Francisco Rego), that, following the catastrophic fires of 2017 in Portugal, was assigned by the European Commission to survey and examine the European forest fire research, to identify any shortcomings and to suggest future directions. The study, which documents the need for integrated forest fire management, was presented and discussed at a major conference organized by the European Commission in Lisbon in February 2018.
• Participation of Dr. Gavriil Xanthopoulos as a member of an Independent Committee to investigate the causes of the worsening of the forest problem and rural fires in Greece appointed by Prime Minister (Υ60 / 2018 – Government Gazette 3937 / Β / 10-9-2018) after the catastrophic fire eastern Attica (23-7-2018). The committee was chaired by Professor Johann Georg Goldammer, Director of the World Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), and consisted of five distinguished forest fire scientists. The Commission delivered its findings to the Government, the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Parliament, the official opposition and the other political parties in February 2019.

The Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Hydrology, also offers significant contributions to practice. Among other activities, it monitors and documents the hydrological characteristics of permanent water catchments in various parts of the country, including operation of three automatic meteorological and two automatic hydrometric stations in typical mountainous forest areas.

Contact:

Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”

Institute of Mediterranean & Forest Ecosystems

P. O. Box: 14180

Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528, Athens, Greece

Phone:   ++30 210 7784850,      Fax: ++30 210 7784602