Mountains of Greece Heritage narratives from the past for a sustainable future
This special two-day conference aims to shed new light on the heritage of mountain regions in Greece. It explores how that heritage can best be protected for the future, in the context of the current rapid expansion of mountain tourism and development in Greece. How can we activate the huge untapped potential for expanded engagement with history, heritage and conservation in these mountain landscapes? How can we ensure a sustainable approach to environmental and cultural preservation?
We define heritage in the broadest possible sense, to include archaeological, botanical and cultural heritage, encompassing not only physical sites and material culture, but also stories and images of mountain life, from antiquity to the 21st century. The conference brings together academics, writers, artists, botanists, conservationists, policymakers, mountain tourism professionals and local community representatives to share their distinctive perspectives. We also aim to take a comparative approach, joining up the challenges faced by Greek mountain communities and organisations with similar challenges from other mountain regions around the world.
The event is organised by the University's Professor Jason König along with Maria Christodoulou, The Greek Herbalist, Dr Faidon Moudopoulos-Athanasiou, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and Professor Rebecca Sweetman of the British School at Athens.
The event will take place at the British School at Athens in Greece from 6pm on Wednesday 22 October to 6pm on Friday 24 October. Times are EEST (Eastern European Summer Time).