The book is one of the main outcomes of a three-year research project (2011-2013), entitled “Culture and wetlands in the Mediterranean: Using cultural values for wetland restoration”. It was carried out by Med-INA, the Mediterranean Institute on Nature and Anthropos, with the financial support of the MAVA Foundation.
This innovative walking guide has been created in collaboration with local and regional authorities, civil society, academia and other key stakeholders. It aims to record, celebrate and publicise knowledge of the area’s natural and cultural heritage, assist in the development of alternative types of tourism and, ultimately, promote sustainability. Along with studying the history of Lake Karla, a number of example ecosystems from around the world have been considered in the selection of characteristic walking routes. These trails, embracing the local flora and fauna, archaeology, history, religious sites, traditional activities, and cultural and aesthetic landscapes, have been carefully chosen and described to best reflect the area. In the long term, such a guide can –indirectly– contribute to developments that act in harmony with the culture and nature of the area, including opportunities for leisure and recreation, enhancement of the area’s biodiversity, and the promotion of environmental education programmes designed to encourage visits from schools, social groups and other concerned individuals.
The guide is introduced by Eleni Laitsou, Mayor of Rigas Feraios, Ifigeneia Kagkalou, President of the Managing Authority of the Eco-Development Area of Karla-Mavrovouni-Kefalovryso-Velestino, Assistant Professor Vasilis Kanakoudis, University of Thessaly, and Aikaterini Polymerou-Kamilaki, Director of the Hellenic Folklore Research Centre of the Academy of Athens. It has been edited by Thymio Papayannis, director of Med-INA and coordinator of the Ramsar Culture Working Group, and the two project coordinators, anthropologist Irini Lyratzaki and sustainability consultant Stefanos Dodouras. The book is available both in Greek and English.
Dodouras, S., Lyratzaki, I. and Papayannis, T. (ed.) (2013), Lake Karla Walking Guide, Med-INA, Athens.
Available gratis from: afoutri@med-ina.org or fax: +30 210 3629338, providing full postal address (upon postage payment).
