RESEARCH

The laboratory is specialised in a suite of scientific areas unique in Greece, such as the biodiversity of wild bees, the pollination of wild plants, biological invasions, as well as the Ecogeography of the Mediterranean, and the cultural ecology in semi-natural ecosystems (salt-pans, terraces) in connection with local development. The nature of the research areas has, in all cases, provided the possibilities for local and national action, as far as the creation of new infrastructure such as the Melissotheque of the Aegean and the Museum of Salt in Polichnitos, but also as far as the dissemination of knowledge to citizens and governmental institutions is concerned.

During the past years the laboratory specializes in the study of the pollinators of Greece with the aim to promote the maintenance of the diversity and the effectiveness of this important natural resource. Direct targets are the creation of a national species list, taxonomic keys and a Red Data Book of the country’s pollinators, as well as the dissemination of the generated knowledge to potential users at all levels (education, management and politics).