Stilianos Tampakis

The 2007 forest fires in the prefecture of Ilia: the views of citizens with regard to the actions taken before, during and after the fires

In 2007, the prefecture of Ilia, Peloponnese, Greece, was struck by very serious fires which were not only the result of extreme weather but also of human omissions and mistakes. This paper examines the views of the citizens of Ilia with regard to the actions of the Fire Department, the municipal authorities, the Forest Service, the citizens and the state, before, during and after the fires.

Climate change: the views of forestry students in a Greek university.

The trend to global warming is one of the most important problems of our time. This paper reports the findings of self‐management questionnaires, in regard to views held on the issue of climate change by the students of the Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Democritus University of Thrace.

Facing and managing natural disasters in the Sporades islands, Greece

The region of the Sporades islands located in central Greece is at the mercy of many natural phenomena, such as earthquakes due to the marine volcano Psathouraand the rift of Anatolia, forest fires, floods, landslides, storms, hail, snowfall and frost. The present work aims at studying the perceptions and attitudes of the residents regarding how they face and manage natural disasters. A positive public response during a hazard crisis depends not only upon the availability and good management of a civil defense plan but also on the knowledge and perception of the possible hazards by the local population. It is important for the stakeholders to know what the citizens expect so that the necessary structures can be developed in the phase of preparation and organization. The residents were asked their opinion about what they think should be done by the stakeholders after a catastrophic natural disaster, particularly about the immediate response of stakeholders and their involvement and responsibilities at different, subsequent intervals of time following the disaster. The residents were also asked about the most common disasters that happen in their region and about the preparation activities of the stakeholders.

A perceptual study of users’ expectations of urban green infrastructure in Kalamaria, municipality of Greece

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate residents’ perceptions, preferences and satisfaction concerning the urban green infrastructure of Kalamaria, Greece, to evaluate the importance of urban parks for residents’ well-being and to suggest management improvements. Design/methodology/approach – Following a random sampling method, 385 residents were interviewed. Green infrastructure number and size, design suitability, safety, variety and care of plants, noise pollution, facilities for people with disabilities and duration and frequency of visits to green areas were among the considered parameters. Factor and hierarchical log-linear analyses were conducted. Findings – The existing green spaces were insufficient in number, size and design, and their distribution was unsatisfactory. The facilities and equipment in the green spaces were evaluated as rather mediocre, and most respondents were unsatisfied with the overall planning and management of the green infrastructure in the municipality of Kalamaria. The results indicate that resident’s well-being relates to their satisfaction with urban green infrastructure. Frequent and longer visits of green spaces significantly improved the perceived well-being. The residents expressed an intention to pay 20-40 percent more than the average price for a house with a view of a green area. Originality/value – Public perception surveys enable green infrastructure managers to identify preferred management alternatives and to use this information in an urban planning framework. Local authorities can use the results of the present survey to manage the city’s green infrastructure, enhance the city’s resilience and anticipate climate change challenges and the future needs of residents.

Involving local people in sustainable rural development and conservation: a response to the economic crisis

This paper concerns the management and development of natural resources using citizens’ participation in decision-making procedures. The study examines the economic growth of gateway communities in the Amvrakikos Wetlands National Park with the use of a structured questionnaire and through personal interviews. Simple random sampling was used as a method. The case study constitutes an approach used to examine local people’s views concerning the various characteristics of the broader area, their living standards, as well as the sectors they wanted existing and future developments to be based upon. Through the research results, it is acknowledged that local people consider employment opportunities to be inadequate. They think that local development is based, partly, on the primary sector. Whereas, local people wish the primary sector to be enhanced along with the secondary, they want industry development and a tertiary sector, with the provision of services and tourism.

“Local peoples’” and “visitors’” views on infrastructure and services in protected areas: a case study from Evros, Greece

This case study attempts to explore “local peoples’” and “visitors’” views about the existing infrastructure and the availability of the services of the two National Parks of Evros Prefecture. The purpose of the research is to find out any potential deficiencies which might be influencing “local peoples’” lives and “visitors’” travel experience. The sustainable use of natural resources and tourism are crucial in the management of protected areas and National Parks. Sustainable development in such areas can only be achieved if the tourism infrastructure and related services are effectively managed. The results showed that local people are deemed to be stricter in their assessment of the existing infrastructure and services provided compared to the visitors in both areas. Although the structures of the tours and activities in the two National Parks are not similar, there were significant similarities in the visitors’ perceptions in both scenarios.

The Coexistence of Humans and Companion Animals in the City Parks of Xanthi: The Views of the Citizens

Companion animals are very important to people of big cities. In Greece the families which own those animals take them for a walk in the parks and streets of their town but not always with care to not disturb other citizens. Laws and regulations for companion and stray animals are not respected in Greece, although as a result of the Athens Olympics in 2004 the Greek government started to provide funds for the collection, care, and sterilization of stray animals. This paper is a first attempt to record, through the aid of a structured questionnaire, the view of the citizens of the city of Xanthi in northern Greece regarding companion animals and what they do when animals become old. The paper also examines the extent to which the existence of stray and companion animals in parks disturbs the people who visit green areas looking for a place to get a rest or play on the grass. The majority preferred that stray animals are collected off the streets, recorded, treated from parasites, vaccinated, and sterilized and after that are available for adoption or are returned to the area they were found at.

Environmental problems in protected areas

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach regarding the management measures for solving environmental problems in protected areas. Two neighboring protected areas with different features were chosen in order to investigate the similarity of the environmental problems with regard to these two areas and if it is possible for these problems to be solved through a network of protected areas. Design/methodology/approach – The research was carried out through the use of a questionnaire which was distributed to the inhabitants and visitors of both areas, as well as through interviews with the representatives of organizations responsible for the management and administration of those areas and representatives of the municipalities and the regional authorities these two national parks belong to. Simple random sampling was applied to the inhabitants and cluster sampling to the visitors. Findings – The results show that with regard to the visitors the most important problem is illegal hunting whi...

The Views of Citizens on the Issue of Participation in Confronting Climate Change: The Case of Greece

Climate change no longer constitutes a prediction for the future but it is already occurring. For this reason what is necessary is both the adaptation of citizens to new changes as well as action by the scientific community and by the bodies involved in the fight against climate change. Thus, the bodies will need to organize and undertake effective action which will encourage citizens to participate in such actions in order to adapt to future impacts. The aims of this research are, on the one hand, the investigation of the characteristics which influence participation in activities and, on the other hand, the discovery of specific characteristics with regard to citizen preferences. In order to achieve its aims this research used a structured questionnaire and 1536 questionnaires were collected from January 2014 to June 2015. The main results include that younger citizens greatly trust scientists, show great willingness for voluntary action and get their information on climate change through documentaries. Also, those with higher educational level trust the actions of non-governmental bodies while middle aged citizens and secondary education graduates trust the actions of governmental bodies while older citizens prefer activities for the reduction of pollutants.

The Increase of Global Temperature as a Result of the Greenhouse Effect: Assessing the Reasons for Disagreement Among Scientists

This paper consists of two independent research projects which were carried out through the use of the same questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by students of the Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace and by students of the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education in Athens. The two groups of respondents were asked to assess on a scale from 1 to 10 the reasons for disagreement among scientists regarding the increase of global temperature as a result of the greenhouse effect. The most important reasons are (1) the interdependence of science and economic activity (mean 7.33 for the students of Forestry and mean 7.22 for the students of the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education) and (2) the dependence of scientists on employers (mean 7.17 and 7.92). Reasons for disagreement are also the desire for personal fame (mean 6.88 and 5.92), the different scientific background and skills of every scientist (mean 6.68 and 5.88), the complexity of climate issues (mean 6.58 and 6.84), approaching the problem through emotion or logic (mean 6.57 and 6.19), the subjective element in each scientist which means seeing different things in the same picture (mean 6.65 and 6.00), the difficulty of proving hypotheses (mean 6.64 and 6.42), and access of scientists to different data (mean 5.55 and 5.40). Through the use of hierarchical analysis in clusters we have the following groups of variables: “financial dependence of scientists”, “possibilities regarding human and material potential”, “personality of scientists”, and “nature of the problem”. Generally, the scientific information regarding the increase of global temperature as a result of the greenhouse effect receives low grades by both the students of Forestry and the students of the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (6.73 and 6.42). However, both groups believe that we should not wait for more convincing scientific information in order to adopt the necessary measures for confronting the problem (57.1% and 87.9%).