Newsletter of the Lesvos Petrified Forest European and Global Geopark published by the:

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE LESVOS PETRIFIED FOREST

Special Issue
Spring 2012
Lesvos
Lesvos
Geopark
Geopark
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ditor in cheef
ickolas ouros
Executive editor
Katerina Vasileiadou
Contributors:
Contributors:
. Bentana
I. Valiakos
. Vasileiadou
D. Batsios
V. Plousaki
. Georgiou
. Gkogkos
P. Ampoulos
Photos:
Photo Gallery
Natural History Museum
of the Lesvos Petrified Forest
Design:
. Georgiou
PUBLISHED BY:
THE NATURAL HISTORY
MUSEUM
of the LESVOS PETRIFIED
FOREST
ISSN 1109-3676
European Destination
of Excellence 2009
Lesvos - Petrified forest
The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest has been established in
Sigri, in 1994, and acts under the super-
vision of the Greek Ministry of Culture and
Tourism. Its main objectives are the study,
conservation, promotion and exhibition of
the unique Lesvos Petrified Forest, a designated Protected
Natural Monument of special environmental, geological, palaeonto-
logical and educational value, included in the West Peninsula-
Petrified Forest NATURA 2000 Site.
Museum Opening Hours
E-mail address: lesvospf@otenet.gr
Websites: www.lesvosmuseum.gr
www.petrifiedforest.gr
Postal Address:
Sigri, GR-81103, Lesvos, Greece
el. - Fax: +30 22530 54434
Summer period
1 July - 30 September:
Daily: 09:00 - 20:00
Winter period
1 October - 30 June:
Tuesday - Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00
Mytilene Information Centre:
17, 8
th
November & Papayiannis Street,
GR 811 00 Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece
el. - Fax: +30 22510 47033
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 08:00 - 16:00
Cover Photo: Columnar lavas in Lepetymnos, one of the
most important volcanic geotopes of the Lesvos Geopark
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3
The 36th Session of the General Conference of
UNESCO held in Paris from 25 October until 10
November, with the participation of delegations
from 193 Member States, international organiza-
tions and NGOs, was to decide the strategies and
action program on the four main interest areas of
the organization, i.e. education, science, culture
and communication, and on the major initiatives to
be undertaken by the organisation during the fol-
lowing two years. Alongside the General
Conference, the major exhibition Open UNESCO
was launched, where the Lesvos Petrified Forest
was presented.
The declaration on Geoparks
Within the Conference, the action plan in the field of
Science was discussed, during which the draft dec-
laration on Geoparks proposed by the Executive
Committee was approved.
The Greek delegation was attended by the
Coordinator of the European Geoparks Network,
Assoc. Prof. N. Zouros, who was one of the main
speakers at the special meeting for the determina-
tion of UNESCO policies in the field of Geoparks.
The representatives of Greece, together with repre-
sentatives of Ireland, Chile, Poland, USA, Italy,
Kenya, Uruguay, Vietnam, Argentina, Malaysia,
France, South Korea, Slovenia, Mexico, Germany,
Botswana, Honduras and China, strongly supported
the draft resolution that invites UNESCO to
strengthen its support of the Global Geoparks
Network and to upgrade the operation and develop-
ment of Geoparks. During the special session on
Geoparks, it was suggested that there appears a
need for evolution of the Geoparks initiative to a
larger program, similar to the program for World
Heritage, a position strongly supported by Vietnam,
Argentina and China. Some countries (Switzerland,
Canada, the Netherlands) objected the operation of
an independent program under the restrictive con-
ditions imposed by the global crisis and suggested
the inclusion of the Geopark project within the
World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Finally, after
intense negotiations and exchange of views, the
resolution on Geoparks was unanimously adopted.
Open UNESCO exhibition
Along the General Conference, the exhibition Open
UNESCO, at the organisations headquarters, was
inaugurated by Irina Bokova, Director-General of
UNESCO. The exhibition presents a wide range of
projects and activities of UNESCO, utilizing a combi-
nation of structures, documentaries, photographs,
publications, interactive applications and social
networks. Among the major projects presented one
could find World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves
and Geoparks. Visitors to the exhibition had the
opportunity to use the upgraded interactive world
maps to locate geo-monuments and to seek infor-
mation about the Lesvos Petrified Forest and the
other 86 UNESCO Geoparks. The exhibition, which is
permanent, opened for the wider public in January
2012 and will promote the Geoparks to all visitors to
the UNESCO headquarters.
th
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Our news Our news
A
testament to the global cultural and natural
value of Lesvos and evidence that the island is a
place worth visiting is represented in the attempt
that has begun for the island's candidacy for member-
ship in the Global Geoparks Network. A programmatic
agreement has been jointly signed by the Municipality
of Lesvos, the University of the Aegean and the
Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest, and the inventory of all data-arguments spread
on the island has already started being created. From
the first steps of the inventory creation and the listing
of only some of the available riches, it turns out that
the natural and cultural wealth of the island is endless
and able to give the passport to joining the UNESCO
Network.
As part of the revalidation of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest Geopark, auditors of UNESCO visited Lesvos in
June 2011, who met with the Mayor of Lesvos, D.
Vounatsos. Since then, and under their contacts with
local authorities, and particularly with the Director of
the Museum of the Petrified Forest, N. Zouros, and rep-
resentatives of the University of the Aegean, the idea
has been fostered that it is possible to claim the inte-
gration of the whole island of Lesvos in the Network.
Adopting this perspective and after discussion in the
City Council, the Municipality of Lesvos decided in
October 2011 their joint effort, together with the
University of the Aegean and the Natural History
Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, to claim the
membership, acting speedily, as the proposal had to
be submitted by the 30th November 2011. The pro-
grammatic agreement was signed by the Mayor of
Lesvos, D. Vounatsos, the Deputy Dean of the
University of the Aegean, N. Soulakelis, and the
Director of the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest, N. Zouros.
4
The Lesvos island Geopark:
For the first time, all natural and cultural features of the island are recorded and pre-
sented integrated, within the initiative to claim membership of the whole island in the
European and Global Geoparks Networks of UNESCO
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As soon as the programmatic agreement was joint-
ly signed, the compilation of the proposal began, a
task mainly assigned to N. Zouros, the Deputy
Mayor Yiannis Tsakiris and the representative of
the University of the Aegean Yiannis Spilanis. The
procedure requests that UNESCO auditors will visit
the island in June 2012 and judge on site the valid-
ity of all elements included in the proposal, in order
to decide on the final declaration of the whole
island of Lesvos as a geopark. As stressed at the
City Council meeting, a geopark is a designated
area which shows a prominent and special geolog-
ical heritage, a considerable number of geotopes of
particular quality, rarity, scientific and educational
value and aesthetic attraction. The majority of the
sites presented in a Geopark must be geological
monuments, but also sites of archaeological, eco-
logical, historical or cultural interest are valuable.
Both Mr. D. Vounatsos and Assoc. Prof. N. Zouros
believe that the compilation of the proposal and a
possible resulting declaration of Lesvos as a mem-
ber of the Global Geoparks Network is a first class
opportunity to highlight the overall natural and
cultural wealth of the island, an opportunity that
can lead not only to touristic growth but also to the
holistic sustainable development of the island,
under proper operations.
During the signing of the agreement, the Mayor,
praising the efforts of the Director of the Natural
History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest
towards the support of the proposal, announced a
list of 92 geotopes that can be visited on Lesvos, a
small sample of the endless natural heritage of the
island, whereas Mr. Zouros referred to the unique
lesbian grove, the cultural monuments and muse-
ums that host treasures hidden in the land of
Lesvos, and also to traditional settlements, the
architecture of the island, and everything that
demonstrates the rich culture, which, together
with the islands nature, constitute unique advan-
tages of the island. According to Mr. Zouros, this
effort requires the cooperation of all local authori-
ties and stakeholders, the only condition for the
success of the project.
5
Our news Our news
The programmatic agreement for the creation of the Lesvos
Geopark was signed among the Municipality of Lesvos, the
University of the Aegean and the Natural History Museum of
the Lesvos Petrified Forest. From left to right, the Director of
the Museum N. Zouros, the Deputy Dean of the University of
the Aegean N. Soulakelis, the Mayor of Lesvos D. Vounatsos
and the Deputy Mayor Y. Tsakiris.
The preparation of the proposal
Geopark end-to-end...
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Our news Our news
6
Around 19 million years ago, in the area of Lesvos,
there was a large dense subtropical forest. The for-
est was very rich: huge sequoias and pines at high
altitudes, poplar, oak, laurel, cinnamon, cypress,
palm trees at the lowest altitudes. This forest was
the perfect habitat for numerous animals! Large
deinotheres were living among the thick trees, and
were cutting with their short trunks tender leaves
from the trees to eat. Moles were digging burrows
in the ground, where they could hide to escape
predators. Various species of small and large ham-
sters were wandering around the ground a few
hours before sunset to find fruits and seeds. Tiny
shrews were running on the ground, searching
endlessly for insects and worms under the foliage.
Small dormice were hanging upside down from tree
branches. And at night the sky was filled with vari-
ous species of bats, which, during the morning,
were hiding in caves around the lake or perched
hanging upside down from tree branches.
In a glade of this forest, a large lake had formed. At
the bottom, tiny snails were feeding on algae and
aquatic plants. In the quiet waters, fish were swim-
ming and scary alligators were constantly ready to
devour animals that reached the lake to drink
water. When the snails, fish and alligators died,
their bodies were sinking in the lake bottom. There,
bones of animals that lived around the lake were
also accumulated, usually drifted by small
streams. In that burial location, the remains were
covered by sediments and later by large amounts
of volcanic ash ejected from the nearby volcano.
Over the years, through complex chemical process-
es, all these animal remains became fossils!
These conclusions have emerged from the most
recent research activities of the Natural History
Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest in the area
of Western Lesvos. The significant new discoveries
Research:
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7
were presented in Lesvos for the first time in
August 2011, by Dr. Katerina Vasileiadou,
Geologist-Palaeontologists of the Museum, during
the Earth Festival, the annual summer celebra-
tions of the Museum. A temporary exhibition with
explanatory posters and a presentation entitled
New findings of the animals of the Petrified
Forest were prepared, both introducing the fossil
micro-inhabitants of the Petrified Forest to the vis-
itors of the Museum and the local people of
Lesvos.
The audience that attended the presentation on
the 3rd and 6th August, as well as visitors to the
museum during the whole August, had the oppor-
tunity to become acquainted with the snails and
fish of the great lake that covered NW Lesvos
about 19 million years ago, the terrifying alligators
which captured their prey in the lake waters, the
hamsters, moles and insectivorous small mam-
mals living around the lake, the dormice con-
structing their nests in the trees and the bats fly-
ing in the night sky above the subtropical forest; a
peaceful setting full of life where nothing could
foretell the onset of the disastrous volcanic erup-
tions that subsequently devastated the area.
During the exhibition, visitors had the unique
experience of observing the new tiny fossils of all
these animals using special stereoscopic micro-
scopes.
Even though the plant fossils of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest have been known for centuries, its
animals have only recently begun to be revealed.
In 1999, the first animal fossil was found: the
lower cheek teeth of a deinothere, one of the oldest
proboscidean fossils found in Europe. During sub-
sequent years, investigations in the area by the
scientific staff of the Museum aimed to unearth
more animal fossils. Finally in 2007, a layer of sed-
iments containing animal fossils was located in
NW Lesvos. Careful processing of sediments and
observation using stereoscopic microscopes led
Our news Our news
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Our news Our news
8
to the finding of fossil gastropods and isolated
remains of fresh water fish, small reptiles, small
lizards and micro-mammals. The fossils were com-
pared with similar fossils from Eurasia in order to
identify the species to which they belong. A large
part of the research was carried out at the Geology
Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
(Greece) and the Earth Sciences Department,
University of Utrecht (Netherlands).
The new discovery is of great importance, since it
reveals some of the oldest vertebrate fossils found
so far in Greece and can provide information con-
cerning the migration of mammals between Asia
and Europe, as well as contributing to more accu-
rate reconstructions of the subtropical forest
ecosystems of the eastern Mediterranean area 19
million years ago. The results of the study of the
micromammals found so far have already been
published in a scientific journal (Vasileiadou, K. &
Zouros, N., 2012. Early Miocene micromammals
from the Lesvos Petrified Forest (Greece): prelimi-
nary results. Palaeobiodiversity and
Palaeoenvironments, vol. 92, no. 2, p. 249-264)
and have been received with interest by the scien-
tific community. Research will continue with fur-
ther sampling and analyzes, aimed to the enrich-
ment of knowledge on the communities and
ecosystems in the eastern Mediterranean area
around 19 million years ago.
mole tooth
lacustrine gastropod mollusc hamster-like rodent tooth
fish pectoral fin bone
fresh-water fish otoliths
alligator tooth
dormouse tooth
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Our news Our news
The 10th European Geoparks Conference was held
in Langesund, Norway, from the 16th until the
19th of September 2011, by the Geopark Gea
Norvegika. The conference was attended by 280
scientists and geoparks representatives coming
from more than 30 countries.
During the conference, issues were discussed
related to the development of Geoparks, the
enhancement, protection and management of
geological monuments and geoparks contribution
to local economic development. Also, the new
members of the European Geoparks Network and
the new members of the World Geoparks Network
of UNESCO were announced, after the decision of
the 11-member UNESCO Geoparks Bureau.
Including these new members, he Global Geoparks
Network of UNESCO now has 87 members in 27
countries and the European Geoparks Network 49
members in 16 European countries!
As part of the Conference, the results of the 10-
year Action of the Natural History Museum of the
Lesvos Petrified Forest for the management of the
Petrified Forest and its promotion at a global level
were presented. The Assoc. Prof. of the University
of the Aegean, N. Zouros, Director of the Museum,
presented the positive results of the management
of the Petrified Forest and reported the results of
the achievements of the Museum in the fields of
protection and promotion of natural heritage and
the development of geotourism. Also the Director
presented the Museum's initiatives on raising pub-
lic awareness related with natural phenomena
such as earthquakes.
th
28
th
Assembly of the EGN
Coordination Committee
Music event in the Gea Norvegika Geopark
The Advisory Committee of the
European Geoparks Network
Representatives of the new members of the
EGN and GGN receiving their membership
certificates
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Our news Our news
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The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest was the only Greek Museum tak-
ing part in the final phase of the competition for
the 2012 Micheletti Award, which was this year
held on the 27th and 28th April at the State Textile
and Industry Museum, in Augsburg, Germany. The
Museum was one of the 18 museums from 12
European countries shortlisted for the prize,
among 24 applications. Despite the fact that it was
not awarded, its nomination shows that it can
stand equal next to many major European muse-
ums.
On the 28th April, during the final phase of the
competition, the Director of the Museum, Assoc.
Prof. N. Zouros, presented to the European
Museum Academy (EMA) plenary the Museum and
its activities. During the presentation, which
received very positive feedback, he referred to the
five areas assessed in the context of the competi-
tion:
1. the Museum: premises, exhibits and collections,
website, broadcast media, organization, person-
nel;
2. elements of originality and modernity in the
exhibits presentation;
3. the effect of the Museum in local, national and
international level;
4. the contribution of the Museum to the promo-
tion of scientific research and
5. the role of the Museum as a place of culture,
education, communication and exchange of ideas.
During the presentation of the final results, the
Chairman of the EMA, Dr Wim van der Weiden, for-
mer General Director of Naturalis Museum in
Leiden, the Netherlands, pointed out the geograph-
ic distribution and variety of museums that com-
peted and announced that the competition was
really difficult due to the very high quality of all
contestants. He then awarded the prize to the
Riverside Museum in Glasgow, Scotlands Museum
of Transport and Travel. The trophy was presented
to the museums director, Lawrence Fitzgerald, by
HRH Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg.
Museum evaluation
Prior to the final phase, in November 2011, Dr. Arno
van Berge Henegouwen, Director of the Natural
History Museum Museon in The Hague, the
Netherlands, and member of the EMA, had visited
Lesvos, in order to assess the application files of
the Museum. During his visit, Dr. van Berge
Henegouwen visited the Museum accompanied by
the Director, Assoc. Prof. N. Zouros and the Head of
the Research Department, I. Valiakos, who updated
him on the Museum activities. During the evalua-
tion of the application, prepared by the Museums
Head of the Exhibitions and Education
Department, K. Mpentana, special emphasis was
given on the presentation and interpretation of the
Museums exhibits, as well as the Museum's active
role in local sustainable development.
Furthermore, the high level of service offered by
the Museum to its visitors and its promotion of
alternative forms of tourism were highly com-
mended by the EMA referee.
After the end of the evaluation procedure, Dr. van
Berge Henegouwen indicated that he was pleas-
antly surprised by the quality of service and vari-
ety of activities in a museum at the boarders of the
European Union, as well as by the integration of
the natural environment in the museum architec-
ture. He commented positively on the modern way
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11
We par t i ci pat ed i n We par t i ci pat ed i n
of the collection display and the use of modern
technologies towards optimisation of information
and guest satisfaction.
European Museum Academy
The European Museum Academy aims to encour-
age the dissemination of the principles that should
govern a modern museum and to promote innova-
tive actions by the new generation of museums. It
is engaged in developing research in museums
and encourages the application of new methodolo-
gies in the presentation of museum collections. At
the same time, it acts as an advisory body provid-
ing services to improve the quality of services pro-
vided by museums. Members of the European
Museum Academy are leading experts from
Europe on museology, with vast experience in the
promotion and operation of museums.
Originally, the Micheletti Award was established by
the Luigi Micheletti Foundation and Kenneth
Hudson in 1996, for the recognition of excellence
in the specific sector of European science and
industry museums. Since its creation in 2009, the
European Museum Academy jointly coordinates
the Awards Ceremony together with the Micheletti
Foundation, in order to give a prize to the most
successful and innovative museum in Europe, as
well as to museum staff and scientists working in
the fields of industrial and social history, technolo-
gy and science. The panel of judges for the
Micheletti Award consists of leading scientists in
the field of museology, museum directors and art
historians:
Mr Thomas Brune, Head, Department of
Ethnology, Landesmuseum Wrttemberg,
Stuttgart
Mr Ren Capovin, Luigi Micheletti Foundation,
Brescia; musil Museum of Industry and Labour,
Brescia
Dr Christopher Grayson, Expert in European cul-
tural cooperation
Dr Arno van Berge Henegouwen, Head, Natural
History Department, Museon, The Hague
Dr Massimo Negri, EMA Director, Scientific
Director of the Master Course of European
Museology, IULM University, Milan; Scientific
Director of Genus Bononiae-Museums in the City,
Bologna
Mr Franois-Xavier Nve de Mvergnies, Service
de Linguistique exprimentale, Universit de
Lige
Miss Ann Nicholls, EMA Co-ordinator
Dr Virgil Nitulescu, Director, Museum of the
Romanian Peasant, Bucharest
Dr Andreja Rihter, EMA President and Head of the
School of Museology, Celje
Dr Hermann Schfer, Former General Director for
Culture and Media, Chancellors Office, Berlin;
Founding President of the House of History, Bonn
HRH Princess Sibilla de Luxembourg, Art
Historian
Dr Jana Souckov, Emeritus Vice-Director
General, National Museum, Prague
Mrs Danile Wagener, Director, Les 2 Muses de
la Ville de Luxembourg
Dr Jorge Wagensberg, Scientific Director of the
la Caixa Foundation, Barcelona
Dr Wim van der Weiden, EMA Chairman; former
General Director of Naturalis, Leiden
The participation of the Natural History Museum of
the Lesvos Petrified Forest in the final phase of the
competition for the Micheletti Award, among large
National Museums with long tradition and high
budgets, is an undeniable recognition of its quality
in a European level.
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The Lesvos Pet r i f i ed For est Geopar k The Lesvos Pet r i f i ed For est Geopar k
14
The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest successfully participated in the
three-day event The island of Lesvos in Istanbul,
dedicated to the Aegean island of Lesvos, its cul-
ture, products and natural beauties, celebrated in
the Sismanoglio Hall, from the 13th to the 15th
May 2011. The event was organized by the
Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul, in collabo-
ration with the Municipality of Lesvos. In the
frames of the event, the Museum was invited to
prepare and present the exhibition "The Lesvos
Petrified Forest", aiming to acquaint the public
with this unique natural monument.
The exhibition included a collection of unique fos-
sils, parts of petrified trunks and leaf prints, which
demonstrate the richness of the Petrified Forest
and certify its uniqueness as a Natural Monument.
The findings presented to the public of Istanbul
belonged to ancestral forms of pine and oak trees,
as well as tropical plants. They were selected for
their excellent preservation, and were accompa-
nied by explanatory texts in three languages
(Turkish, English and Greek), multimedia and
audiovisual presentations on the Lesvos Petrified
Forest Natural History Museum and the Petrified
Forest Park. The Museum offered guided tours in
Turkish to the visitors, and distributed brochures
in Turkish and English about the Petrified Forest
and the Museum.
Aiming to the promotion of Lesvos and its Petrified
Forest, the Director of the Museum, Assoc. Prof. N.
Zouros, presented Lesvos as an attractive touristic
destination with nature and culture as its key pil-
lars. He also had a series of contacts with Consular
authorities and academic personalities, and dis-
cussed the possibilities of closer cooperation. He
met, among others, the internationally well-known
historian and president of the Topkap Museum,
Prof. Ilber Ortayli, who accepted with pleasure the
invitation to visit Lesvos and its Petrified Forest.
The Lesvos Petrified Forest exhibition in Istanbul is
an important first step and an outstanding oppor-
tunity for promotion of the monument and Lesvos
to the neighbouring country, whereas further
steps to strengthen contacts are already planned.
The Director of the Natural History Museum of the
Lesvos Petrified Forest, Assoc. Prof. N. Zouros, and the
President of the Topkap Museum, Prof. Ilber Ortayli
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15
The Lesvos Pet r i f i ed For est Geopar k The Lesvos Pet r i f i ed For est Geopar k
A large number of adults and children from Lesvos
and the neighbouring Turkey, as well as visitors to
the island, had the opportunity to meet the Lesvos
Petrified Forest in the frames of the 1st Greek-
Turkish Trade and Culture Festival "Archipelagos",
held at the Mytilene new marina, on the island of
Lesvos. The Festival was supported by the Northern
Aegean Region and the Greek and Turkish Chambers
of Commerce, and lasted from the 17th till the 20th of
June 2011 with great success. During the festival,
commercial and tourist enterprises as well as prod-
ucts from the Northern Aegean islands and the
Turkish coasts (Asia Minor) were presented, whereas
the main events were complemented by a wide vari-
ety of cultural festivities.
The exhibition prepared by the Natural History
Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest for the festi-
val, "Petrified Forest of Lesvos - Protected Natural
Monument", aimed to introduce the Petrified Forest
to the participants of the festival and, most impor-
tantly, to the visitors from Turkey. Unique plant fos-
sils from the west Lesvos, showing excellent preser-
vation of the original wood structure, and also leaf
prints, were presented. In addition, a large number of
photographs from the Petrified Forest Park, the area
of Sigri and the islet Nisiopi showed to the audience
the wealth and beauty of the geological monument.
Furthermore, special screenings of audiovisual mate-
rial gave information on the Museum and the visiting
parks, and a special educational animated film
attracted the attention of the young visitors.
Brochures in Turkish were distributed, whereas tours
in the exhibition area were held in Turkish, English
and Greek. Many of the festival visitors, fascinated by
the exhibits, decided to further visit the geological
monument in its original place in the west side of the
island.
It is estimated that more than 7,000 people visited
the exhibition and admired the impressive fossils.
The success of the exhibition vindicated the efforts of
the organizers, who took the initiative to present and
promote the Lesvos Petrified Forest during the
Festival, as well as the Hellenic Tourism Development
Co., who financially supported the participation of
the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest in the 1st Greek-Turkish Festival.
1
st
Greek-Turkish Festival in Mytilene
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We par t i ci pat ed i n We par t i ci pat ed i n
12
The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest participated in the 9th Meeting of the
European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists
with one poster and two oral presentations. The
annual meeting of the Association was held
between the 14
th
and 19
th
June 2011, in the Natural
History Museum of Crete (Greece) and was attend-
ed by around 150 palaeontologists coming from
more than 20 different Eurasian countries. The
Lesvos Petrified Forest was represented by Dr.
Katerina Vasileiadou, Geologist-Palaeontologist of
the Museum.
Even though the meeting was mainly scientific, a
poster was prepared by the Lesvos Petrified Forest
and the Psiloritis Geoparks, with the title Vertebrate
fossils in Geoparks: a tool for the promotion of
responsible tourism and the economic development
of rural areas, highlighting the crucial role of
palaeontologists, museums and universities in link-
ing knowledge with socio-economic development in
the 21st century. The poster, which attracted much
attention, presented the European Geoparks
Network, its targets and activities and focused on
the use of interpretation methods and communica-
tion tools used by its members towards the dissem-
ination of the message for diachronic importance of
biodiversity and natural evolution. The Lesvos
Petrified Forest and Psiloritis Geoparks in Greece,
the Maestrazgo Geopark in Spain, the Bergstrae-
Odenwald Geopark in Germany and the Rserve
Gologique de Haute Provence Geopark in France
were examined as case-studies of vertebrate fossil
promotion and use for the sustainable development
of the regions from which they originate.
The oral presentations communicated the most
recent scientific activity as well as exhibition activi-
ty of the Museum. In the presentation Micro-mam-
malian inhabitants of the Lesvos Petrified Forest,
Dr. Vasileiadou presented the results of the study of
isolated micromammalian teeth found inside lake
sediments overlain by volcanic rock layers in
Western Lesvos. The talk received great interest by
the audience, since the study gives insight to an
animal community of about 19 million years ago, a
period which is not very well known through the dis-
coveries so far achieved in the Eastern
Mediterranean area.
The presentation Communicating past mammalian
biodiversity: from the deinothere of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest to the man of the Petralona Cave
informed the audience on the making of a tempo-
rary exhibition in the Natural History Museum of the
Lesvos Petrified Forest that lasted from June 2010
to August 2011 and was organised in the frames of
the celebration of 2010 International Year of
Biodiversity. The exhibition utilized vertebrate fos-
sils, mainly from the Geology Department, Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki and the Natural History
Museum of Crete, and the talk gave information on
its aims and feedback from visitors on the exhibition
and the educational programs that accompanied it.
The presence of the Natural History Museum of the
Lesvos Petrified Forest in the Meeting was very suc-
cessful, as it led to the promotion of the Lesvos nat-
ural monument and also the European Geoparks
Network. Especially the promotion of the EGN
through a poster and of the Museums exhibition
through an oral presentation in an almost purely
scientific meeting was very significant, as it demon-
strated that fossils should not be used only for sci-
entific reasons, but also as tools for the publics
understanding of the evolution mechanisms and
the interactions within the living world, targeting to
the re-establishment of our long lost balance with
our planet.
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We par t i ci pat ed i n We par t i ci pat ed i n
Significant outcome for the promotion of Lesvos
and the Petrified Forest is expected from the par-
ticipation of the Natural History Museum at the
International Tourism Fair ITB Berlin, the largest
travel exhibition in the world held from 7-11 March
2012. With this participation, the Museum aims to
boost the visitation of Lesvos for the German
tourism market in this very difficult period for the
Greek tourism industry.
The presentation of the Lesvos Petrified Forest in a
special pavilion, designed exclusively for the exhi-
bition, was organized in collaboration with other
Geoparks members of the European and World
Geoparks Networks. The Petrified Forest was the
central theme of the pavilion, which was awarded
by ITB as the eighth best stand of non-governmen-
tal organizations among 10,500 exhibitors! In a
prominent position of the stand, products of
Lesvos such as olive oil, ouzo, and products of
Women Cooperatives were presented.
The participation of the Petrified Forest in the exhi-
bition was possible through the collaboration
between the Museum and the North Aegean
Region. The booth included extensive information
and photographic material from European
Geoparks, special presentations on alternative
forms of tourism, as well as local delicacies and
traditional products of Geoparks. The Petrified
Forest and Lesvos attracted the attention of both
tourism experts and ordinary visitors, who
showed great interest in the printed informative
material, available in German and English.
Event for Geotourism
Particularly important was the participation of the
Museum in the special event Geotourism and
Geoparks, organized by the ITB. The Museum was
represented by Mr. Ilias Valiakos, Head of the
Museums Research Department, who presented
the Petrified Forest, the geological and natural
monuments of Lesvos, services and opportunities
for visitors of the Geopark. Among the participants
in the event were Jonathan Tourtellot, Founding
Director of the National Geographic Centre for
Sustainable Destinations, Ka Ming Yeung, Hong
Kong Senior Geopark Officer, Dietrich Kbler, Chief
Administrative Officer of Country District of the
Odenwald Region, Andreas Larem, Mayor of
Messel, Werner Klckner, Mayor of Daun
Association of Municipalities. The event had a
great success and it was the best opportunity to
promote the Lesvos Petrified Forest as a leading
alternative tourist destination.
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The 9th International Book Fair of Thessaloniki,
which began on the 24th May, closed its gates on
the 27th May 2012, with great success. This years
significant participation in the long-established
book's greatest celebration in Greece was that of
the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest. The presence of the Museum in the fair pro-
vided a unique opportunity to thousands of book
fans who visited the exhibition during the four days
of its operation to meet the globally renowned
Lesvos Petrified Forest, its rich publishing, educa-
tional and scientific activity, as well as the numer-
ous beauties of Lesvos.
The Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest captured the interest of visitors from the
first day of the exhibition. Highlighting the numer-
ous printed and electronic publications of the
museum, including educational booklets, guides,
proceedings of scientific meetings and coffee-table
books, the stand 69 in Pavilion 13 became a major
stop during the fair visit, enabling everyone to
admire the unique geological monument, and also
to get information about a possible visit to the
island of Lesvos. The young friends who visited the
stand had the great opportunity to dig for fossils
into volcanic rocks, watch a short film about the
creation of the Petrified Forest and get to know the
plants and animals of Lesvos in colouring pages!
Valuable for the Museum was the promotion of the
Petrified Forest to a large number of teachers who
were informed on the educational programs of the
Museum and the possibilities for the Museum to
design for any visiting school targeted educational
activities at the Museum and across the whole
island of Lesvos.
During the fair, the Museum designed and organ-
ised with great success an educational event in the
Kids Corner of the fair, in the evening of the 26th
May. During the event, young friends of the
Museum together with their parents were intro-
duced to the plants and animals that lived in the
Aegean area 20 million years ago and the process-
es that led to their fossilization. Using the e-learn-
ing application "Lesvos Petrified Forest" and the
GEORAMA museum-kit, children played, partici-
pated in excavations and painted animals and
plants of the Petrified Forest!
The participation of the Natural History Museum of
the Lesvos Petrified Forest for the first time in the
International Book Fair of Thessaloniki and the par-
ticular promotion to school groups and teachers is
one of the numerous activities of the Museum
aimed to highlight the great geological monument
and attract visitors to the island.
th
The Director of the Museum, Assoc. Prof. N.
Zouros welcomed at the Museums stand the
Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, Prof. S. Pavlides.
Children colouring the animals of the Lesvos
Petrified Forest at the Kids Corner.
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