Strategic Environmental Management in Mount Athos under Climate Change, LIFE STEMMA ATHOS

Mount Athos (MA) is a unique cultural and natural heritage site, characterized by high biodiversity, extensive forest cover, and significant historical value. Its ecological integrity is increasingly threatened by climate change (CC) due to factors such as geographic isolation, widespread chestnut monocultures, fragmented forest governance, and limited water resources. With each of the 20 self-governed monasteries managing its own forest independently, the absence of coordinated environmental planning heightens the area's vulnerability to climate-induced risks, particularly wildfires, drought, and pest outbreaks. This project aims to develop a strategic and integrated environmental management framework for MA, with a dual focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Core objectives include reducing susceptibility to CC-related disturbances, enhancing ecosystem resilience, implementing adaptation and carbon sequestration strategies, and modeling the impacts of these practices on wildfire behavior and carbon dynamics. The initiative also seeks to establish long-term institutional mechanisms for environmental governance, tailored to the unique administrative and spiritual context of MA. By combining scientific planning with local engagement, the project contributes to safeguarding MA’s environmental and cultural legacy. Furthermore, it will promote knowledge exchange within the monastic community and across the EU, serving as a model for sustainable management in similarly sensitive and self-governed landscapes.