Linking quality of life and forest values in rural areas: an exploratory study of stakeholder perspectives in the rural community of Konitsa, Greece

Estimating the non-market benefits of climate change adaptation of river ecosystem services: A choice experiment application in the Aoos basin, Greece

“…The primary sector is the predominant activity of the local economy in as much the southern part of the town is an irrigated plain area. Recently, the local economy has also turned to the tourism development, as the national park and the Aoos River provide several hiking and rafting possibilities (Papageorgiou et al, 2005). Today, the most characteristic direct and indirect uses of the Aoos River in Konitsa are: (a) irrigation of 1000 ha of the plain area; (b) rafting for 7 months per year; (c) hydroelectricity production upstream of the town of 10 3 MWh/year.…”

Agricultural Cooperative Management and Policy

“…Close to the river spring there is a hydroelectric plant that produces an average of 10 3 MWh electrical energy per year. The town has about 3,000 inhabitants, living in 750 households (Papageorgiou et al 2005). Over the years, the local economy was based on the primary sector, since in the southern section of the town there is an irrigated plain area.…”

Environmental representations of local communities' spokespersons in protected areas

“…This change in local attitudes was accompanied by an increase in service related jobs (Kassioumis, Papageorgiou, Christodoulou, Blioumis, Stamou, & Karameris, 2004). In a more recent research, local inhabitants associated rural quality of life with the attractiveness of nature and landscape (Papageorgiou et al, 2005). Nevertheless, at the institutional level of environmental governance a number of local communities' spokespersons declined the newly formed park authority of the area (Papageorgiou & Vogiatzakis, 2006).…”

“…This transformation has been attributed to factors such as: environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which led initiatives for protected area designation in the first place, and launched numerous environmental awareness campaigns that apparently contributed in the smoothing of local reaction and the diffusion of environmentalist claims in rural areas (Michel-Guillou & Moser, 2006;Papageorgiou, Kassioumis, Blioumis, & Christodoulou, 2005); locals themselves are engaged in environmental conservation, for instance as protected area wardens, which renders the delineation between local people, and outgroups, i.e. environmentalists, opaque (Bell et al, 2007); income from economic activities compatible with the protection status of the area, for example ecotourist activities (Korfiatis, Hovardas, Tsaliki, & Palmer, in press) has increased; current forms of protected area governance are based on highly representative boards involving a variety of social actors, namely; local authorities, state officials, environmental specialists and NGOs .…”