A new Living Lab has been launched in the Nestos Delta in northern Greece, part of a wider European effort to restore pollinators and promote agroecological farming. Coordinated by the University of Thessaly and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM), the Living Lab brings together farmers, beekeepers, researchers, cooperatives, advisors, citizens, and regional authorities.
The lab will serve as both a case study area and a demonstration site within the RestPoll project, with a strong focus on field work, pollinator monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.
Field work & monitoring activities
Ten sampling sites have been set across the municipality of Nestos, including four sites with implemented restoration measures and six different control sites for comparison at different distances.
- 4 Implementation Sites (IMS)
- 2 Internal Control Sites (ICS)
- 2 Out Control Sites (OCS)
- 2 Positive Control Sites (PCS)
The lab will serve as both a case study area and a demonstration site within the RestPoll project, with a strong focus on field work, pollinator monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.
The first three samplings (in April, May and June) revealed interesting trends:
- A positive control site with native vegetation near the Nestos River showed high pollinator diversity.
- Apis mellifera (honeybees) were especially active during the kiwi bloom in May.
- The diversity and abundance of pollinators species in the fields is affected by the number of flowering plants (both cultivated and weeds) in the field.
- Applying cultivations practices such as cutting weeds or tillage has a negative effect on the number of pollinators.
- The proximity of fields to uncultivated land, hedgerows, and irrigation canals is of great importance for the protection of pollinators, as they offer a place for the nesting of pollinators and they provide food.
Bio-economic Modelling & Ecosystem Services
Data from the monitoring will feed into a bio-economic model to support land-use decisions and restoration strategies. In parallel, through community and stakeholder feedback, the team will develop a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme to better understand how wild pollinators are valued by different actors.
In the picture
ENoLL membership
The Living Lab Nestos Delta is now officially registered in the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL). A major milestone! As part of ENoLL’s agroecology cluster, the lab will help share knowledge and methods across Europe.
Events
The second annual workshop took place on 4–5 July 2025 in Chrysoupoli, Greece. In the workshop different groups of stakeholders participated and they expressed their interest as well as their concern about pollinators and the challenges they face. During the first day of the meeting, they were informed about the data that have been recorded from the monitoring of pollinators as well as the pilot consumer survey in Greece in the context of Task 5.3. In addition, they were informed about the process and benefits of the Nestos LL becoming part of the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) and there were also discussed the perceptions of stakeholders about the measures for restoring pollinators. Lastly, during the second day of the meeting, they participated in a workshop to co-design a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Scheme in Nestos that will support pollinator-friendly practices in the region.
Scientific supervision
The Living Lab is led by:
- Georgios Kleftodimos – CIHEAM-IAMM
- George Vlontzos – University of Thessaly
Together, they ensure a strong link between scientific research, participatory methods, and local knowledge, demonstrating how landscape-level approaches can support biodiversity and ecosystem services.
