“Small is Beautiful – Biodiversity Havens”

Discovering biodiversity through a treasure hunt

This program invites students, residents, and visitors of the Cycladic islands to discover and protect the unique biodiversity hidden in the region’s landscapes—paths, dry stone walls, and sand dunes. Developed by locals on Syros, it aims to raise awareness of lesser known plant and animal species and their importance to island identity, while addressing threats from development and climate change. The initiative transforms students into biodiversity ambassadors, promotes sustainable tourism, and builds a strong connection between communities and nature.

Key goals include:
• Raising awareness of Cycladic flora and fauna
• Highlighting the value of small, overlooked species
• Empowering schools to become biodiversity protectors
• Promoting the role of protected areas in climate resilience

A core feature is the creation of educational “geocaches”—wooden boxes designed by students and hidden around the islands. Each cache features info on local species (in Greek and English), photos, notes, and creative items like thyme, recipes, or honey. Students will then select a location on their island to place their caches and upload the necessary geolocation information to the geocaching app, where they will await “seekers” to discover them and engage creatively with their contents. Creative interaction involves each seeker using the notebook inside the cache to draw or sketch the featured species, leaving behind their own personal “mark” within the cache.

The program will deliver a comprehensive set of educational and awareness-raising materials focused on Cycladic biodiversity. These include an e-book featuring 100 species of flora and fauna, a beautifully written and illustrated children’s story, and an educational scenario in PDF format designed for use in skills development workshops in both primary and secondary education, specifically tailored for islands where dedicated biodiversity caches have been placed. Additionally, the program will produce 100 handcrafted wooden caches to support field-based learning, and a blog will be launched to share and disseminate all produced content with the wider public.

For the implementation of the above program, the Social Cooperative Enterprise “Kavilia” will collaborate with the Syros-Hermoupolis Environmental Education Center.