On the 14th of July 2020, the non-governmental organization iSea, which focuses on the protection of aquatic ecosystems and is represented in the INVALIS stakeholders’ group in Greece, organized a gastronomic event aiming to contribute in Invasive Alien Species management. The event was part of the project “Pick the alien”, which aims to raise awareness in Greece regarding alien species and the consequences of their presence on local economy, tourism, indigenous species, environment and human health, while at the same time promoting the consumption of edible alien species as a mitigation measure to their expansion and the growth of their population. The NCESD was invited to participate in the event and accepted the invitation as an opportunity to communicate and disseminate the objectives of INVALIS project among important stakeholders, as well as contributing to the success of the project “Pick the alien”.
The event took place in a restaurant in Athens. It lasted about 3 hours and gathered around 15 participants, including representatives of the institutions which provide funding to the project, of several NGOs associated with environmental protection, of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, as well as journalists. It consisted of an introduction to the issue of IAS and the project “Pick the alien”, a lunch based on selected edible IAS and a general discussion on the management of IAS, including a presentation of the INVALIS project.
During the discussion, the NCESD members (Christine Kapetanopoulou, Antonios-Angelos Kalliontzis) used the opportunity to present the INVALIS project and discuss the possibilities of future cooperation. Because of the way the event was held, this was not done through a Powerpoint-presentation, but through an informal talk about the objectives, activities and outcomes of the INVALIS project around the table. In this way, representatives of NGOs and organizations which can provide funding for environmental projects, such as Thalassa Foundation and Cyclades Preservation Fund were contacted and informed about the project and its achievements so far, thus paving the way for their possible involvement in the stakeholders’ group and the action plan of INVALIS, but also for collaboration in other possible projects related to IAS, in which NCESD could take part in the future. Also, there was an exchange of experience with iSea on the issue of IAS management and the idea of organizing common events was discussed, through which the results and objectives of both projects (INVALIS and “Pick the alien”) can be presented together, achieving a wider dissemination. Finally, journalists present in the event were contacted and an article about the event was published in the newspaper “Efimerida ton Syntakton”, in which a short description of the INVALIS project was included, contributing to the promotion of the project to a wider public.