Christopoulos A. & Zevgolis Y.G. 2023. Not only an aquatic threat: A Caspian whipsnake Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) entangled in discarded fishing net onshore on Lesvos Island, Greece. Ecologia Balkanica 15(1), 192-198

The use of fishing nets has a widespread impact on marine, saline–brackish, and freshwater environments, as well as the species occurring in them. While the nets are intended to capture fish and other target species, they often result in high mortality rates of many other fauna species through bycatch and entanglement. Fishing nets that are lost, destroyed, or reach the end of their lifespan are often referred to as “ghost nets”, posing a major threat to fauna as hundreds of species become fatally entangled. Here, we report for the first time an incident of a terrestrial snake, a Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), which we found entangled onshore in a ghost net on Lesvos Island, Greece. The snake was released into its natural habitat after being carefully disentangled. This incident highlights the need for proper disposal of fishing nets to prevent future entanglements and mortality of non–target species.

Kanelli, A.A.; Kokkinaki, M.; Sinvare, M.-D.; Malesios, C.; Dimitrakopoulos, P.G.; Kalantzi, O.-I. Keep Calm and Go Out: Urban Nature Exposure, Mental Health, and Perceived Value during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Sustainability 2023, 15, 8831. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1511883

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of incorporating nature-based solutions in urban design, in order to create sustainable and resilient cities. Inspired by these events, the present study aims at exploring the mental health benefits of nature exposure during the outbreak. Secondarily, we investigate changes in use patterns towards urban green spaces (UGS) and urban blue spaces (UBS) and whether extreme conditions, such as these of a lockdown, can lead to an increase in people’s appreciation of urban nature. Through an online survey, we observed that the pandemic resulted in a decrease in the frequency of visitation to UGS/UBS (p < 0.001). Significant differences were found for exercise (p < 0.001) and socialization (p < 0.05) as main drivers for visiting urban nature pre- and post-lockdown. Accordingly, visitation rates for forests (p < 0.05), playgrounds (p < 0.001), and the sea (p < 0.001) differed significantly when comparing the two periods. In people’s perception, UGS/UBS are important for the urban fabric (89%). Our structural equation model indicated that nature exposure had a beneficial effect on participants’ mental health (p < 0.001). Pathways that explain the relationship between nature exposure and post- lockdown value were nature relatedness, motivation, and perceived importance of UGS/UBS. No mediation could be extracted for nature exposure and mental health. Our findings show the positive association between nature exposure and mental health improvement, especially in times of crisis, as well as a shift in the “value domain” towards urban nature.

Σύμφωνα με πρόσφατη έρευνα (δεδομένα 2021) του Research.com το Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου καταλαμβάνει τη:

INFOGRAPHIC: Στατιστικά στοιχεία της ερευνητικής δραστηριότητας του Τμήματος Περιβάλλοντος (2021)

INFOGRAPHIC: Έρευνα (2021) απασχόλησης/ικανοποίησης αποφοίτων του Τμήματος Περιβάλλοντος

Το Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, το Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, το Αριστοτέλειο Παν. Θεσσαλονίκης, το Παν. Κρήτης, το Παν. Μακεδονίας, το Παν. Πατρών, το Οικονομικό Παν. Αθηνών και το Παν. Αιγαίου αποτελούν τη χρυσή οκτάδα των ελληνικών πανεπιστημίων.  Αυτό προκύπτει από την κατάταξη των ιδρυμάτων με βάση τη μοριοδότησή τους όχι με αντικειμενικά κριτήρια (π.χ. αριθμός φοιτητών και προσωπικό) αλλά με ποιοτικά κριτήρια. Διαβάστε περισσότερα στην εφημερίδα ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ