The 2nd Training Session – “Theory and practice of identifying globally important sites for biodiversity conservation” – was dedicated to training fellows on the process of identifying Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), using the Global Standard for the identification of KBAs.
Besides the 15 fellows, the session brought together external scientists specialised in different taxonomic groups of the Greek biota as well as KBA experts. The programme included:
- Criteria for identifying Key Biodiversity Areas, and guidelines for the implementation of the criteria and the delineation of KBA sites;
- Background to the biodiversity, important sites and conservation areas of Greece;
- A visit to a NATURA 2000 site in Rhodes Island;
- A workshop on the practice of identifying KBAs for Greek species;
- Fellows’ joint project work.
The training session took place from the 3-12 April 2019, at the beautiful Hydrobiological station of Rhodes (Greece), a historic landmark and a research unit of our host organisation, the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR).