On 14th October 2009, the Athens Agricultural University honoured architect-planner Thymio Papayannis with an honorary doctorate in a formal ceremony. The Department of Rural Economy and Development of the Athens Agricultural University presented the award, recognising this way Thymio Papayannis’ a quarter of a century of work in nature conservation and the sustainable use of resources.
Thymio Papayannis has played a key role in the establishment and operation of various conservation organisations in Greece, the Mediterranean and the world, among which the Society for the Protection of Prespa, WWF Greece and International, the Ramsar Convention and its MedWet Initiative, and the Delos Initiative of IUCN.
Since the late 1990s he has been deeply involved in the interface between the cultural and natural heritage. At present he is Co-ordinator of the Ramsar Culture Working Group. He is also founder and director of Med-INA.