Restoring agricultural landscapes under climate and socio-economic pressures in Greece

Exploring restoration choices in a context where agricultural production, ecosystem condition and local socio-economic priorities need to be considered together.

At a glance

Selected agricultural regions in GreeceLocation

GreeceCountry / region

Agriculture / agricultural landscapesEcosystem

PlannedStatus

Regional and national authorities, farmers and agricultural organisations, researchers and environmental stakeholdersKey stakeholders

Heat and drought, variable precipitation, declining yields and ecosystem functions, pollinator and habitat loss, and rural depopulationRestoration context

Understanding the benefits, costs and feasibility of nature restoration measures in agricultural landscapesNatuRISE focus

The context

What is happening here?

Agricultural landscapes in Greece are facing growing pressures from climate change and wider socio-economic change. Increasing heat and drought, together with increasingly variable precipitation, can affect agricultural productivity and ecosystem functions.

At the same time, the loss of habitats and pollinators and the depopulation of rural areas create additional challenges for the long-term resilience of agricultural landscapes.

Nature restoration can contribute to healthier and more resilient agricultural systems, but restoration measures may also involve costs, changes in management practices and different impacts for different farming communities.

The restoration challenge

The key challenge is to understand how restoration measures can strengthen agricultural and ecosystem resilience while remaining relevant and feasible for farmers and public authorities. NatuRISE will consider questions around:

climate-related pressures on agricultural production;
restoration of habitats and ecosystem functions;
pollinator decline and other biodiversity pressures;
changes in agricultural management;
restoration costs and potential foregone production;
rural socio-economic conditions and demographic change.

The case study will help explore how restoration options can be assessed not only in terms of ecological outcomes, but also their implications for farmers, rural communities and the wider agricultural system.

Who is involved?

Regional and national authorities
Contribute policy priorities, implementation perspectives and information on agricultural and environmental measures.

Farmers and agricultural organisations
Bring practical knowledge of farming systems, management decisions, costs and barriers to adoption.

Environmental stakeholders
Contribute perspectives on biodiversity, ecosystem restoration and ecosystem services.

Researchers
Assess ecological, economic and social dimensions of potential restoration measures.

What will NatuRISE explore?

The questions this case study will answer

Which restoration measures could strengthen agricultural resilience?
What benefits could restoration generate for biodiversity, production and ecosystem services?
What costs or potential losses could farmers face?
How could restoration measures affect different types of farms and rural areas?
What role could pollination and other ecosystem services play?
Which measures could be both ambitious and feasible in practice?

How will we work together?

NatuRISE will bring together stakeholders and researchers through a Listen → Define → Assess → Test → Refine process.

The process will help identify relevant restoration measures and decision criteria, assess their potential impacts and discuss whether the results reflect the realities faced by farmers and authorities.

What will the case study contribute?

The Greek case study will provide a real-world setting for testing approaches that assess the ecological, economic and socio-economic implications of agricultural restoration and support comparison of alternative measures.

From case study to action

The NatuRISE case studies connect scientific evidence with real-world restoration decisions. Through collaboration with stakeholders, each case study will help test and refine methods for understanding the benefits, costs, trade-offs and distributional effects of nature restoration. As the project progresses, this page will evolve from a description of the context into a gateway to the evidence generated through the case study.