Governance

Our highest decision-making body is the annual General Assembly (GA), in which representatives from all member organizations of the EPP participate.

The GA determines our strategy and approves our annual accounts, program, and budget for the following year. In general, the GA makes decisions on the most important issues the organization faces.

Every two years, the GA elects the President, Vice President, and the Managing Director of the SPP. The Managing Director represents the organization and oversees its activities.

Between GA meetings, an Executive Committee consisting of 5 members—also elected by the GA—is responsible for making decisions on key matters and supporting the Managing Director in their work.

General Assembly Members

Clairie Papazoglou, our President, is an environmental consultant, working primarily for the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). From 1998 to 2016 she worked for BirdLife International, at national level in Greece & Cyprus and internationally at the European office in Brussels from 2000 to 2009, holding various directorial positions. She is an ornithologist with extensive scientific experience, but also a seasoned environmental policy expert, having specialised in EU nature policy and other policies affecting nature since 1998. She also serves on the Conseil d’Administration (Board) of Tour du Valat in France and on the board of two further NGOs in Cyprus. In addition to environmental issues, she has also been engaged for many years in issues affecting the regulatory framework for NGOs, in Cyprus and Europe. She holds a Biology BSc (Hons) and a D.Phil. from Sussex University in the UK.

Clairie Papazoglou

C Papazoglou-photo — Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature - President of the SPP

Demetres Karavellas

Demetres Karavellas is a conservation leader who has worked with WWF in various roles for almost 30 years. He has been active in the field and on key policy issues linked to natural resources, the conservation of species and critical habitats, climate change and sustainable development, at national, regional and global level. He is the CEO of WWF Greece and until recently was president of the WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative. He recently took on the role of President of the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust, a foundation supporting conservation actions in the wider Prespa-Ohrid region. He is also a member of the SDSN Leadership Council of Greece. He holds a BSc in Marine Biology from Queen Mary University and a MSc in Fisheries Biology & Management from Bangor University. He is a keen amateur underwater photographer and, with family origins in the Dodecanese, he feels most at home in the waters of the Aegean.

Alexis Katsaros is a political scientist who has worked for many years as a project manager in the fields of environmental protection, cultural heritage management and sustainable development. Growing up and being educated between two countries, Alexis was exposed to different cultures and practices that taught him a deep appreciation of diversity in all its forms. From his early professional days, Alexis has found inspiration in working with – and for – local communities. Since 2022, he has been the Executive Director of the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos – MedINA. MedINA is an organisation whose mission is to improve the well-being of local communities by conserving and protecting their natural resources and promoting their cultural heritage. At MedINA, he leads a team of scientists who combine their knowledge, creativity and passion to develop and deliver innovative solutions in response to pressing environmental and social issues.

Alexis Katsaros

Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA)

Alexandros Karamanlidis

Dr. Alexandros A. Karamanlidis is a wildlife conservationist with a special interest in the conservation of critically endangered species. Over the past 25 years his career has embraced the study and protection of both large terrestrial carnivores and ungulates in Europe and the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. Dr. Karamanlidis’ research and conservation efforts have been supported by grants from the International Bear Association, the National Geographic Society and the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, and his work has been featured on BBC Earth and in the New Scientist. Dr. Karamanlidis currently serves on the IUCN Pinniped, Otter, Brown Bear and Human-Bear Conflicts Specialist Groups. In 2017, Dr. Karamanlidis received the Conservation Merit Prize from the Society for Marine Mammalogy and in 2018 he became a National Geographic Explorer. He is currently the Managing Director of ARCTUROS – Civil Society for the Protection and Management of Wildlife and the Natural Environment.

Dr. George Karris is a biologist, graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), with a Master’s degree in Environmental Biology (AUTH) and a PhD from the University of Patras. His doctoral dissertation focused on the reproductive ecology of Calonectris diomedea on the Strofades Islands.

He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environment at the School of Environment of the Ionian University, with teaching experience in courses including Biology, General Ecology, Population Ecology and Biodiversity, Environmental Impact Assessment, Wildlife Biology and Management, Aquatic Ecosystems, and Environmental Education and Teaching Methodology.

He is Chair of the Natural Environment Council of the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture (ELLET). He has participated in more than 20 research and nature conservation projects, serving as scientific coordinator in three of them, with a particular focus on avifauna and bird conservation.

His academic publications include 65 peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals and proceedings of international and national scientific conferences.

He is a member of the Hellenic Ecological Society, the Hellenic Bird Ringing Centre, ELLET, the Hellenic Zoological Society, the Panhellenic Association of Bioscientists, the PIM Initiative “Preserving Small Mediterranean Islands,” the Seabird Task Force of the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM), and the Seabird Group.

He has served as a reviewer for 30 scientific journals and as Guest Editor for three special issues of the scientific journal Diversity (MDPI), focusing on “Ecology, Diversity and Conservation of Seabirds” and “Seabird Populations Under Global Change.”

George Karris (ELLET)

Vasiliki Chrysopolitou (Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre)

Vasiliki Chrysopolitou is a biologist with an MSc in Hydrobiology and more than 20 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, aquatic ecosystems and protected area management. Since 2006, she has worked at the Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre of the National Museum of Natural History Goulandris, where she currently serves as Head of Biodiversity Conservation and Networking. Her work focuses on science-based conservation of habitats, species, wetlands and inland waters, and on the implementation of the EU Nature and Water Framework Directives. She has played a key role in Greece’s national reporting under the Habitats and Birds Directives and has coordinated national and international projects on biodiversity monitoring, ecological restoration, climate change adaptation and transboundary water management. She currently leads the preparation of Greece’s National Restoration Plan, supporting the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Konstantina Demiri is an environmental scientist specializing in protected area management. She began her professional career at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), at the Institute of Inland Waters.

She subsequently worked as a policy advisor at the European Parliament. In 2014, she joined the Hellenic Ornithological Society (BirdLife Greece), where she headed the Environmental Policy Department until 2022. Since then, she has served as Director of the organization.

In her current role, she is responsible for coordinating a dynamic and multidisciplinary team of scientists and professionals with diverse areas of expertise, united by a shared commitment to protecting wild birds, their habitats, and Greece’s natural environment. She places particular importance on fostering a collaborative working environment where people can grow professionally, take initiative, and combine scientific knowledge with meaningful action for nature.

She grew up in Aetos, Messenia, and is the mother of two children.

Konstantina Demiri (Hellenic Ornithological Society)

Raphaël Billé holds a PhD in environmental management and two master’s degrees in regional planning and economics. He is Deputy Director General and Programme Director at the Tour du Valat Institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. Prior to this, 25 years of diverse international experience in the field of environmental protection led him, in particular, to the Pacific Community, where he led the RESCCUE project for the implementation of nature-based adaptation solutions in Pacific island countries and territories from 2014 to 2019. From 2006 to 2013, he established and led the Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation programmes at IDDRI, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.

Raphaël Billé

Clairie Papazoglou

Demetres Karavellas

Alexis Katsaros

Alexis Karsaros is a political scientist who has worked for many years as a project manager in the fields of environmental protection, cultural heritage management and sustainable development. Growing up and being educated between two countries, Alexis was exposed to different cultures and practices that taught him a deep appreciation of diversity in all its forms. From his early professional days, Alexis has found inspiration in working with – and for – local communities. Since 2022, he has been the Executive Director of the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos – MedINA. MedINA is an organisation whose mission is to improve the well-being of local communities by conserving and protecting their natural resources and promoting their cultural heritage. At MedINA, he leads a team of scientists who combine their knowledge, creativity and passion to develop and deliver innovative solutions in response to pressing environmental and social issues.

Alexandros Karamanlidis

Eftychia Alexandridou

Eftychia Alexandridou, is a Chemical Engineer (AUTH) with master’s studies in quality management. She worked as a production manager in industrial units. Since 1992 she has been working at the Goulandris Natural History Museum, where she holds the position of Director at the Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (GB/WC) and the institution’s Water Quality Laboratory. She is also a member of the Executive Council of GB/WC. She has many years of experience in supervising and guiding the implementation of projects aimed at nature conservation and monitoring.

Niki Kardakari

Niki Kardakari is currently the president of the Hellenic Ornithological Society/BirdLife Greece and has been a member of its board since 2011. She is a professional in nature and wildlife conservation and management, with a wide experience of European nature conservation policies and legislation and has been involved in work concerning the establishment, zoning and management of NATURA 2000 sites. As a field ornithologist has participated extensively in the designation of IBAs and the implementation of EU Birds Directive 79/409/EEC. She has also been involved in ICZM projects, with conservation and restoration actions in favour of protected habitats and wildlife. Her work includes dealing with spatial planning, sustainable tourism and visitor management issues. She lives in Aigio, in the northern Peloponnese, is married and has a daughter.

Yiannis Michail

mihail-giannis — ELL.ET - Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage

Yiannis Michail holds a degree in Architectural Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, a PhD in Urban Planning from the Technical University of Aachen and acquired two scholarships on urban planning from the French Government. He worked for the Ministry of Urban Planning in Hamburg for five years, as a director in the subsidiary companies of the Real Estate Bank for 24 years, was the Founding Assistant Ombudsman, 1998-2003, and head of the Qualityof-Life Cycle. He has been published many times in Greek and foreign scientific books and magazines, also publishing regular articles in daily and weekly newspapers, as well as in proceedings of scientific conferences. He was the Vice-President of ISOCARP (The Hague, 1975-78), Director of the UIA’s Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme (Paris, 1977 onwards) and its Secretary General (1997-2004), President of the Hellenic Architectural Society (from 2004), Officer of the ‘Ordre des Palmes’ (France, 1985), corresponding member of the German Academy of City and Spatial Planning (Germany, 1986), President of the Rotary Club of Kifissia, President of ELLET – Hellenic Society for Environment and Cultural Heritage (2008-2014) and its Vice-President from 2014 onwards.

Raphaël Billé