Lakes of the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans

Konstantinos Stefanidis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Patras. He specializes in freshwater ecology, with emphasis on freshwater plant diversity, ecological processes in shallow lakes, and the impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems. He has participated in several national and international projects focused on the monitoring and management of freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem functioning. His research interests include functional and taxonomic diversity patterns of freshwater plants, ecological assessment of freshwater ecosystems, the effects of multiple stressors on freshwater systems, hydromorphological alterations in rivers, habitat heterogeneity, and ecosystem functioning.

 Anthi Oikonomou is a freshwater biologist, with a strong focus on conservation of endemic species and species of Community interest within Natura 2000 protected areas, in the context of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). She is actively involved in international initiatives that aim to harmonize sampling methodologies and data collection, contributing to the integration and standardization of biodiversity monitoring efforts across Europe. Her work also encompasses the environmental management of inland waters, including national-level monitoring of water quality in accordance with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). She has contributed to more than 30 national and European research projects and has an extensive publication record. She plays an active role in capacity-building initiatives in West Africa, teaching at the Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Nigeria and Ghana every year. She currently serves as Secretary of the European Ichthyological Society and is a certified assessor for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Elias Dimitriou is a Research Director in the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) with expertise in Water Resources Management, wetlands protection and biodiversity conservation. He received a BSc in Geology, an MSc in Environmental and Ecological Sciences from Lancaster University – UK and a PhD from the University of Athens, on the environmental water needs in a lake ecosystem. He started working as a research associate in the Department of Inland Waters of HCMR in the year 2000, focusing on environmental hydrology and water resources management studies. So far in his research career, he has coordinated and/or participated in more than 40 European and National research projects, while he has published over 200 scientific articles in peer-reviewed international journals and conference proceedings.