Biodiversity & Natural Resources

The ARTEMIS documentary series takes viewers on a journey across the Mediterranean, showcasing how science, innovation, policy and local communities can work together to protect and restore some of the region's most valuable marine habitats: seagrass meadows.

In a joint op-ed published in Kathimerini, Nadia Andreanidou (MEDASSET) and Ioli Christopoulou (The Green Tank) highlight the vital role of the LIFE Programme—the EU's only funding instrument dedicated exclusively to nature, biodiversity, and climate action.

In this issue, we bring together the latest highlights from our work on energy, climate, nature and Just Transition. From Posidonia seagrass meadows and marine ecosystems to electricity prices, carbon emissions and fossil gas, and from power generation to buildings, transport and industry, we connect the different pieces of a transition that is moving forward—but not always at the same pace for everyone.

Ioli Christopoulou, Policy Director and co-founder of The Green Tank, spoke on the Radio City programme on Athens 9.84 about the importance of Posidonia meadows for biodiversity, coastal protection and climate resilience, as well as the need to strengthen restoration efforts in Greece and across the Mediterranean.

As EU Member States prepare their National Restoration Plans under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and engage in negotiations on the priorities of the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, a new report from the Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project highlights what is needed to move from the legal protection of Posidonia meadows to the systematic implementation of restoration actions at national and Mediterranean scale.

The Green Tank's Policy Director and co-founder, Ioli Christopoulou, and Nature Policy Associate, Dimitra Syrou, were guests on ERT's Infinitely Curious with Katerina Batzaki, where they discussed the ecological importance of Posidonia seagrass meadows and the urgent need to protect and restore them.

The restoration of Mediterranean seagrass meadows must move from fragmented pilot projects to long-term, large-scale action supported by coherent governance and sustainable financing, according to the new report released by the Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project.

Against the backdrop of increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves across Europe, Maria-Christina Doulami, Communications Officer at The Green Tank, explores the vital role of nature in addressing the climate crisis in her latest opinion piece for HuffPost Greece titled “Nature Is Our Natural Air Conditioner. Why Do We Continue to Invest So Little in It?”. Forests, wetlands, seagrass meadows and urban green spaces are not only havens for biodiversity—they are essential natural infrastructure that cool our cities, reduce climate risks and strengthen the resilience of our communities.

How can the EU scale up the restoration of Mediterranean seagrass meadows? This and more were the central questions explored during the online policy roundtable "From Meadows to Markets: Advancing Seagrass Restoration and Sustainable Financing", co-hosted by MEP Dimitris Tsiodras and organised by The Green Tank in the framework of the ARTEMIS Interreg Euro-Med project on June 25, 2026.

At the 5th ESG Universe Forum, Ioli Christopoulou, Policy Director and Co-founder of The Green Tank, highlighted the role of nature investments as a key tool for biodiversity protection, resilience building, and sustainable development.

From 8 to 10 June 2026, The Green Tank joined fellow partners and associated stakeholders at the final conference of the Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project in Menorca, Spain, contributing to discussions on advancing seagrass restoration across the Mediterranean.

The Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project was recently featured in an extensive article by science journalist Tom Peeters in the Belgian science magazine Eos Wetenschap. The article, titled “Posidonia: The Seagrass That Protects the Mediterranean Sea”, explores the ecological importance of Posidonia oceanica meadows, their role in biodiversity conservation, coastal protection and carbon sequestration, as well as the threats they face from anchoring, fish farming and climate change.

The Green Tank actively participated in the first Greek Seagrass Forum, held at the French Institute of Greece in Athens from April 28 to 30, 2026, contributing to the dialogue on the protection and restoration of Posidonia oceanica, one of the Mediterranean’s most important ecosystems.

As part of Fortune Greece’s Earth Day 2026 special, Nikos Mantzaris, senior policy analyst & co-founder of The Green Tank, highlights that the environmental crisis is still reversible—but the window for action is rapidly closing.