Friday, September 12, 2025
OPENING CEREMONY
- Message from the Mayor of Thessaloniki, President of the Board of Directors of the Mount Athos Center, Mr Stelios Angeloudis
- Message from the Holy Community of Mount Athos
- Message from the President of the Executive Committee of the Friends of Mount Athos (FoMA), Mr Graham Speake
SESSION I: Conservation of the Athonite Biodiversity - Current Research
Chair: Peter Howorth, Publisher of the Mount Athos Map
Landscape, Flora, Fauna and Fungal Diversity of Mount Athos
Dr Stephanos Diamandis, Research Director, Forest Research Institute
Management of the chestnut forest of Mount Athos and its enhancement in view of climate change
Nikos Gounaris, Forestry Consultant, Mount Athos Authority
Η Origin of the Black Pine (Pinus nigra) of Mount Athos
Prof. Spyros Galatsidas, Democritus University of Thrace
SECOND SESSION: International contribution to the preservation of the Athonite landscape
Chair: Dr Stephanos Diamandis, Research Director, Forest Research Institute
The History of Path-Clearing Pilgrimage
Andrew Buchanan, FoMA
The Topography of Mount Athos
Peter Howorth, Publisher of the Mount Athos Map
Conclusions and Open Discussion
On the future of the Athonite landscape and the actions required to preserve it
