Goulandris Natural History Museum in Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece | Museum

The Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (or EKBY by its Greek initials) has its roots in the Goulandris Natural History Museum, Thessaloniki. The Museum was established in Athens in 1964 as a non-profit institute for research, public awareness, information, and education in the conservation of the natural environment. Its present premises (3,500 m2) include a large herbarium, zoological and geological collections, exhibition halls, a library, and laboratories (Entomology, Botany, Geology, Hydrobiology, Biotechnology, Herpetology, Ornithology, and Information). As an extension of the Goulandris Natual History Museum an Environmental Research and Education Centre (11,000 m2), also known as the "Gaia Centre", is under construction. EKBY has adopted the policies and nature conservation principles of the Museum. It was established in 1991 by the Goulandris Natural History Museum with European Community funding and the support of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), following an application by the Greek Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works. EKBY is based at Thermi, close to the city of Thessaloniki, where its facilities are located. In Greece EKBY has pioneered the development of the following concepts/procedures for the conservation and management of renewable resources:· functions and values of natural ecosystems, positive interactions between natural and man-made ecosystems, use of objective criteria to identify wetlands, inventorying natural ecosystems, monitoring ecological changes, mapping wetland habitats, wetland hydrology, wetland restoration and rehabilitation, approaches to save irrigation water in order to relieve pressures on natural wetland habitats, preparation of management plans for protected areas, use of constructed wetlands in waste-water treatment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of training projects, and methods in public awareness campaigns.