Οι Συμφωνίες του Gustav Mahler:Ζητήματα Ερμηνείας

Η πτυχιακή εργασία “Οι Συμφωνίες του Gustav Mahler: Ζητήματα Ερμηνείας”, συνδυάζει την ιστορική, θεωρητική και πρακτική όψη του θέματος που πραγματεύεται. Ξεκινώντας από το Ρομαντικό Πνεύμα και περνώντας στη ζωή του Gustav Mahler, ο συγγραφέας συνεχίζει παρουσιάζοντας την ιστορία και τα τεχνικά μέρη της διεύθυνσης ορχήστρας, καθώς και τα ιδιαίτερα ερμηνευτικά μέσα που πρέπει να έχει ένας μαέστρος, στα πρότυπα ηγετικών μορφών διεύθυνσης (Mahler, Toscanini, Karajan, Bernstein). Επίσης αναφέρεται στη “γιγάντια” ορχήστρα ενώ περιγράφει διεξοδικά όλες τις Συμφωνίες του Mahler. Τέλος αξιοποιώντας τη συνεισφορά της σύγχρονης Μουσικής Αφηγηματολογίας, ο συγγραφέας κάνει λόγο για το πως η σχέση με τη μουσική μπορεί να επηρεάσει θετικά την αντίληψη, ν’ αλλάξει νοοτροπίες και να προκαλέσει έκρηξη συναισθημάτων σε όποιον έρχεται σε επαφή μαζί της. Η παρούσα μελέτη ακολουθεί τις νεότερες εξελίξεις της Διεθνούς Μουσικολογίας, η οποία μας παρέχει τη δυνατότητα να προσεγγίσουμε και να κατανοήσουμε όλα αυτά τα ζητήματα ερμηνείας και έκφρασης της μουσικής του Mahler.The thesis “ Gustav Mahler’s Symphonies: Performing Matters”, combines the historical, theoretical and practical view of the subject it deals with. Offset by the Spirit of Romanticism and moving on to the life of Gustav Mahler, the writer continues with presenting the history and technical elements for conducting an orchestra. Additionally he elaborates on those technical – performing means required by a conductor commensurate of leading conducting figures (Mahler, Toscanini, Karajan, Bernstein). Furthermore, he presents the “gigantic” orchestra as he describes in detail all of Mahler’s symphonies. Finally, making the most of the contribution of contemporary Musical Narratology, the writer talks about how getting in touch with music can positively influence perception, change mentalities, and cause an explosion of emotions to anybody. This study is based on recent developments of International Musicology, which offers us the possibility to approach and comprehend all these performance and expression matters related to Mahler’s music

The Operation of the Single Resolution Mechanism in the Context of the EU State Aid Regime

This chapter addresses the initiatives of the European Commission to maintain the financial stability of the banking sector. It analyses the regulatory reforms on bank recovery and resolution introduced by the EU aimed at creating a Banking Union, and provides an overview of the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) by taking into account the crisis management tool innovations. It also offers a critical appraisal of the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM). The initiatives examined here are envisaged in a two-pronged approach: through the uniform rules of the Banking Union and in a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) and a Single Resolution Fund (SRF) on one hand, and its interrelation with the state aid rules of the Treaty for the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the other.</p

National scale ecosystem condition assessment with emphasis on forest types in Greece

This study presents a first, national scale approach on ecosystem condition assessment for Greece, through integrating the available surveillance and monitoring data for habitat types, at the plot level, within the Natura 2000 network. The study consists of two parts: (a) ecosystem condition assessment for ecosystem types in Greece, using the conservation degree at plot level as an indicator and (b) a large scale analysis of the forest types' condition using, as indicators, the pressures and typical plant species richness, as an exemplary case to interpret the outcomes of the assessment. The main results of this study revealed that: (i) the majority of the ecosystem types are in above good condition, with the higher percentages of bad condition recorded for wetlands, rivers and lakes, marine inlets and transitional waters, (ii) forest categories in their majority are at above-adequate condition, (iii) at forest ecosystem categories specific pressures (e.g. grazing, cultivations, forestry clearance) act as main drivers forecosystem condition change, (iv) Mediterranean deciduous forests are the most floristic-rich forest category, regarding typical plant species. Simultaneously, it is highlighted that already available datasets could be used for immediate and rapid framework assessments, which will guide future steps on ES studies, research and decision-making

A multidisciplinary critical review of ecosystem services studies in Greece: approaches, shortcomings and the pathway to implementation

During the last two decades, ecosystem services (ES) research is used to inform the various steps of decision- and policy- making process, regarding environmental management, spatial planning and natural capital accounting. In the EU, this vast and rapid publication boom was triggered by the enactment of Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, urging Member States to implement Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and their Services (MAES); few countries pioneered, while others are still lagging behind. In Greece, the implementation of MAES started in 2014 and since then an impressive progress has been made, with Greece now being among the countries with the most rapid progress. However, there are still major knowledge and data gaps on ecosystem services in Greece; know-how on specific methods, tools and practices is still to be developed. This poses obstacles in integrative efforts to identify and/or interpret the various co-variates affecting ecosystems and their services in space and time and hinders the incorporation of the ES generated information into the decision-making process. Making the first steps towards overcoming these hurdles, the present study aims to (i) synthesize the ecosystem services literature relevant to the ES implementation in Greece, (ii) validate and classify each literature source to the relevant ecosystem services categories, (iii) identify shortcomings in terms of ES assessed and data available, and (iv) critically review the variety of approaches to ES assessments that are followed. The outcomes of this study will facilitate the efficient implementation of ecosystem services assessments in Greece

Residents' views on landscape and ecosystem services during a wind farm proposal in an island protected area

Industrial wind farms are being developed within many protected areas, such as in EU Natura 2000 sites; this includes proposals on small Mediterranean islands, such as Samothraki in Greece. Scarce wild land areas on islands may be particularly vulnerable to landscape-scale degradation; this may have serious negative societal impacts. Samothraki's resident perceptions were surveyed in the wake of such a proposal, in June 2018. Of 98 respondents, 48% reported they were against the wind farm plan, while 22% did not take sides. We compare for-and-against sub-group perceptions of the proposed wind farm with potential impacts on the landscape and explore residents' opinions on ecosystem services and environmental pressures and threats. Conflict over the wind farm was prevalent; residents most frequently reported that the proposal threatens aesthetic and landscape qualities. Aesthetic qualities were also the second highest ranked ecosystem services, after freshwater provision. However, other threats, such as livestock overgrazing, top residents' opinion of major environmental problems on the island. The questionnaire survey used provides a scoping assessment, which may assist in identifying "conflict hotspots" for wind farm development. A critical review of wind farm planning in protected areas is presented in light of insights gained from this survey and other relevant studies

The need for the implementation of an Ecosystem Services assessment in Greece: drafting the national agenda

This paper presents the establishment and the first outcomes of the Hellenic Ecosystem Services Partnership (HESP), a scientific-technical committee aiming at the guidance and coordination of the Ecosystem Services (ES) assessment in Greece. HESP consists of experts from different disciplines (ecology, marine biology, socio-ecological system science) and aims to: i) coordinate ES assessment efforts under a shared framework; ii) promote the ES approach in Greece; iii) support the European implementation of ES at the national level (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and their Services initiative), and iv) fulfill priority actions regarding the ES implementation and the obligations derived from the National Biodiversity Strategy. In this paper, we present the first drafting of the National Agenda including short- and long-term objectives towards the national implementation of MAES, we outline the HESP Action Plan to 2020, as well as the timeline of the basic steps to be taken, to achieve decision making on the basis of ES maintenance and enhancement. It will also serve as a call for action to encourage more ES assessments at the national level, but also as a primer for the inclusion of protected areas and other areas of special importance for ES assessments at the EU level

Proposing a Governance model for environmental crises

During August 2021, a wildfire outbreak in Evia, Greece's second largest island, resulted in a major environmental and economic crisis. Apart from biodiversity and habitat loss, the disaster triggered a financial crisis because it wiped out wood-productive forests and outdoor areas that attract visitors. This crisis highlighted the need for a new governance model in order to respond to environmental crises more effectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptance and attitudes of relevant stakeholders towards establishing a Hub a proposed governance model responsible for monitoring and restoring the natural capital and biodiversity after environmental crises. Results based on quantitative data collected via questionnaires showed that most respondents were positive to the Hub and perceived that its main functions should be to recommend measures after environmental crises and to facilitate cooperation among involved stakeholders. Moreover, results pointed to preferred funding sources, stakeholder groups that should participate in the Hub and key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring Hub's performance. The applied methodology could guide the establishment of governance models both in the study area and other countries facing environmental crises

Modeling water regulation ecosystem services: A review in the context of ecosystem accounting

Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) has evolved rapidly in recent years through substantial efforts of both international organizations and the scientific community. Water regulation ecosystem services (ES) are key elements of regulating services in ecosystem accounting, with most relevant studies strongly relying on models for ES quantification up to now. In this paper, we provide a review of modeling efforts for water regulation ES based on 148 scientific papers, properly systematized, analyzed and interpreted by using a detailed and structured original template. We examined emerging trends and gaps in model applications and the readiness to integrate them into the NCA and SEEA-EA frameworks. We propose a classification scheme which organizes the 92 different models and modeling approaches identified in the review process into eight model categories so that this scheme can be efficiently used in the water ES assessment of and for further integration into the accounting framework. Among the models, the hydrologic model SWAT and the modeling tool InVEST are by far the most popular. The results of the review revealed differences between the general ES literature and the accounting-related papers. Moreover, our analysis sets the basis for useful recommendations of which model categories are the most appropriate for the water regulation ES, included in the SEEA-EA reference list. Based on the number of relevant papers, the reliability and the confidence level of the recommendations for the use of models have been incorporated in our analysis. We highlight as model category with the highest confidence the ones relative to quantification water flow and flood control service aiming at ES accounting. Models for erosion control ES can only be recommended with a lower confidence, while for water purification the results lack clear evidence for using a particular group of models. Based on the research findings we identified the main research priorities on model integration in the accounting of water regulation ES: 1) further development of guidelines for the use of models in ecosystem accounting; 2) analyses of the spatial aspects of the model towards a clear distinction between ecosystem service supply and use; and 3) development of integrated modeling approaches for water regulation ES accounting. © 2022 The Author(s

The ESPON 2013 programme : the development of the islands – European islands and cohesion policy (EUROISLANDS)

The report was accepted by the ESPON Monitoring Committee as it demonstrates interesting outputs and observations on the situation and development of the European islands. The report raises awareness of the specificities and diversity of this specific type of territories and takes into consideration the current policy debate related to European Cohesion Policy. The revised version of the Final Report has been considered meeting the minimum demands in contractual terms. However, some case studies raised comments from individual stakeholders involved. Some improvements requested were not implemented to their entire satisfaction as part of the revision of the Final Report. It was felt that the case studies could have been better used and integrated in the analysis, making the report richer, more precise and evidence based, enhancing its narrative.peer-reviewe

HELLAS-ALIENS. The invasive alien species of Greece: time trends, origin and pathways

The current paper presents the first effort to organize a comprehensive review of the Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of Greece. For this purpose, a database was developed with fields of information on the taxonomy, origin, ecology and pathways of introduction of terrestrial, freshwater and marine species. Our database includes a) taxa in the Union’s list that are present in Greece, b) taxa already present in Greece and considered to be invasive, and c) taxa highly likely to enter Greece in the next 10 years and become invasive. The Database served as the starting point for the compilation of the National List of Alien Invasive Species (HELLAS-ALIENS) in compliance with the EU Regulation 1143/2014. Overall, the HELLAS-ALIENS comprises 126 species, i.e. 32 terrestrial and freshwater plant species, 14 terrestrial invertebrates, 28 terrestrial vertebrates, 30 freshwater fishes and invertebrates and 22 marine species. Terrestrial invertebrates, birds and mammals are mainly of Asiatic origin. Most of the terrestrial plants have their native geographical distribution in the Americas (North and South). Most of the freshwater invertebrates and fishes are of North American origin, while the majority of the marine species are of Indo-Pacific origin. The first records of IAS concern terrestrial plant species, and date back to the 19th century, while those in freshwater and marine ecosystems seem to have been systematically recorded some decades later. Regarding the pathways of introduction, most of the taxa arrived in Greece or are expected to arrive through escape from confinement and unaided. The majority of the terrestrial, freshwater and marine species have been evaluated as of High-risk for the indigenous biodiversity and only 3% of the species listed have been evaluated of Low-risk. Our results provide an important baseline for management and action plans, as required by the priorities set by the European Union through the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030