The scientific personnel of the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC) of HCMR participated in an event organized in Nofalia Lasithiou on Saturday 29th June 2024, where they presented educational actions within the framework of the European NAUTILOS project. An interactive experiment was presented in order to display the effect of pollution on marine organisms, as well as a demo for the collection and identification of microplastics from coastal sediment samples. Also a set of handcrafts created using recycled plastic litter were presented to young kids.
The “ἐξάσ8 – you alone will save the world” festival was organized by the University of Crete to support the study and protection of the natural environment. Participating scientific teams included the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR – NAUTILOS), the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), the Natural History Museum of Crete and the Regional Directorate Education of Crete. Visitors had also the opportunity to visit the Finokalia Station for Environmental Measurements in order to investigate issues relevant to aerial pollution and climate change.
Citizen Science activities are been performed within the framework of the EU H2020 project NAUTILOS, aiming to create awareness and engage students and the general public towards the elimination of plastic pollution and the protection of marine ecosystems. The project is strongly supporting the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy (ESPCE). NAUTILOS runs for 4 years and is composed by a large partnership with 21 partners from 11 European countries. The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) – Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC) participates in the project with Dr Eva Chatzinikolaou as the Principal Investigator.