A significant step towards the institutional recognition and funding of stone-built weirs was marked by the conference “Stone-built weirs in ephemeral island streams”, co-organised by the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA) in collaboration with the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy.
The State, through the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, declared its intention to proceed with the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry and Civil Society Organisations. This aims to establish an institutional framework and a roadmap to develop a comprehensive proposal on the terms and conditions for integrating this traditional practice into projects or local strategies within the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, paving the way for its widespread application on the islands. This initiative is incorporated into the Unified Plan of Government Policy and the Ministry’s Action Plan for the year 2026, a fact that reinforces the formality and official standing of these efforts.
Representatives from the government, the scientific community, local governments, and public administration agreed that stone-built weirs – a practice that nowadays combines traditional knowledge with modern science – constitute a substantial Nature-based Solution for sound water management, flood protection, and enhanced resilience of island ecosystems.
Addresses were delivered by the Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, responsible for island affairs, Mr. Stefanos Gikas, as well as by: Petros Varelidis, General Secretary for Natural Environment and Water; Manolis Koutoulakis, General Secretary for the Aegean and Island Policy; and Ioannis Golias, Professor Emeritus at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and Director of the Eugenides Foundation. They emphasised the importance of collaboration in promoting Nature-based Solutions in insular regions and the potential for integrating relevant initiatives into planning for sustainable water resource management, through the appropriate institutional and financial framework.
In the scientific part of the conference, Dimitris Emmanouloudis, Professor at the Department of Natural Environment and Climate Resilience at the Democritus University of Thrace, noted that the Mediterranean is among the most affected regions, with an estimated temperature increase in the Aegean of 2-4.5°C by 2060. He pointed out that Nature-based Solutions contribute to flood protection, reduction of soil erosion, and securing water resources.
In the same context, Nicos Georgiadis, Head of the Terrestrial Programme at WWF Greece, stressed that the abandonment of traditional practices and the increase in artificial surfaces have disrupted the natural flow of water, intensifying flood phenomena on the islands. Meanwhile, Alkmini Paka, Professor Emerita at the Department of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, highlighted that the insular landscape is not only of aesthetic value but constitutes a complex functional system that for centuries secured the needs of communities. She sounded the alarm regarding the rapid changes of recent decades as a result of uncontrolled residential and tourism development.
Fanikos Sakellarakis, Freshwater Programme Manager at MedINA, presented the applications of stone-built weirs from 2020 to the present on Kythera, Paros, Ios, and Sifnos, as well as the approach for developing methodologies for their optimal placement, which take into account the terrain, geology, and hydrographic network of the river basin.
The Mayor of Ios, Gikas Gikas, confirmed that the construction of 50 stone-built weirs on the Mavroudis stream in 2024 has already contributed to flood protection and aquifer enrichment on Ios, inviting other Cycladic municipalities to invest in similar interventions. At the same time, Vangelis Gountoufas, General Director of Forests, presented the State’s first application of stone-built weirs as an anti-erosion measure. In a landmark development, following the forest fires of July 2025 on Kythera, 290 stone-built weirs were constructed, and for the first time, the technical specifications and budget for their construction were defined.
Grigoris Koutropoulos, founding member of the Non-Profit Organisation “Boulouki”, emphasised the need to disseminate the technique and reported that within the framework of participatory stone-built weir constructions on Ios, Paros, and Sifnos, more than 20 people were trained – including three members of the Technical Service of the Municipality of Ios. Angeliki Parioti, from the Environment Directorate of the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy, called for cross-sectoral collaborations to educate local communities and train engineers and contractors.
In this context, Antonis Giannikouris, General Secretary of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), referred to the Chamber’s intention to draft technical specifications for integrating the practice of stone-built weirs into public works studies, as well as to educate its members. Stavroula-Villy Fotopoulou, Director of Modern Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, announced that the Ministry of Culture is proceeding with the creation of two apprenticeship schools for traditional building, which will be an important step in strengthening the art of dry stone masonry with new craftsmen.
In an era of increasing pressures on island ecosystems, the utilisation of traditional knowledge, combined with modern science, can offer effective solutions that enhance the resilience of landscapes and local communities.
The conference was recorded and you may watch it via our YouTube channel, here (available in Greek).
