TEDxThessaloniki 2012 Speakers - Anastasia Miliou

We are very happy to announce our second speaker, scientist and activist, Anastasia Miliou. Anastasia is a hydrobiologist with extensive knowledge in the fields of marine ecosystem management and conservation, as well as fisheries and marine mammal research. A Greek Ambassador in the EU for Sustainable Fisheries & Maritime Policy, she has been leading in research related to the maritime risk assessment in the Aegean Sea and the development of relevant management measures.

Since 2000 Anastasia has been the Manager and Head Scientist of Archipelagos, Institute of Marine Conservation. With their headquarters on the island of Samos and five research bases on islands in the vicinity, Anastasia and her team have concentrated their work in the NE Mediterranean. This ongoing research is used to engage and support local communities  to work towards a common cause of conservation and sustainability, and to fortify Archipelago’s policy advocacy at a national and EU level. Through her work at Archipelagos, Anastasia has created an extensive local and international network of stakeholders whose combined efforts are setting a precedent for marine conservation in Greece.

While working closely with fishermen to encourage their active involvement in protecting the seas, Archipelagos also collaborates with local and international organizations and universities, bringing experts and students from all around the world to the NE Mediterranean. An example of what is possible by this dynamic interface is the work towards establishing the first co-managed Fisheries Protected Area in the islands of Fourni. This on-going project is the result of an Archipelagos coordinated collaboration between fishermen and local authorities, scientists from all over the world, and students and academics from Yale law school.

If you want to learn more about Anastasia and Archipelagos you can check out Archipelagos’ website. There are also a series of very interesting videos on Archipelagos’ youtube channel  where you can find more information about the experience of participants from leading Universities around the world (Harvard, Princeton, UCL etc) who take part in Archipelagos' research and conservation efforts in fields such as Marine Research & Conservation, Terrestrial Research, Seed bank projects, GIS applications, Animation and many more.