Website Resources

The Linnean Society of London. The Linnean Society of London, founded in 1788, is the world’s oldest active society devoted to natural history. The Society takes its name from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) whose botanical, zoological and library collections have been kept by the Society since 1829. These unique collections are a primary reference for naming of plants and animals. The Society’s rich library provides key resources for scientific and cultural research.

The South London Botanical Institute runs a wide range of courses, workshops, school visits and events for all ages. The website provides access to its library which contains about 2000 books on botanical subjects.

The Lloyd Library and Museum is a world renowned independent research library and exhibit space located in Cincinnati devoted to bringing science, art and history to life. The Library focuses on medicinal plants, botany, and pharmacy, and the website has many interesting digital exhibits.

The Waterbear Network is an interactive streaming platform with a large library of short films related to conservation of resources, biodiversity, sustainability and related topics. Registration is required but all content is free to watch. Examples of recent films include Eating our way to Extinction (narrated by Kate Winslet), Eve: The Off-grid Life of a Nine-year-old Climate Activist, and The First Drop of Rain: Making MATAR which follows the journey of a talented artist forced to flee her home country and waiting for the decision on her asylum application in London.

NECCA is the state-funded Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency. Areas in which NECCA is active include Nature diversity, Protected Areas, and Sustainable Development and Climate Change. Of particular interest on the website is the database of alien species in Greece. Over 450 species of alien species are listed of which about 10% are considered to be invasive and therefore a potential threat to native species.

The Green Tank is an “independent, non-profit think tank developing policy solutions for a sustainable future”. The website provides a source for news, opinions and interventions concerning policies in the areas of biodiversity, energy and sustainable development.

The site of the Hellenic Botanical Society provides access to two useful works of reference, namely Vascular Plants of Greece: An Annotated Checklist and The Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece. The latter is in Greek but contains many photographs of the plants referred to. Both works are available for purchase in book form or may alternatively be downloaded from the site as pdf files.

The Southern Lights is a non-profit organisation based in the Peloponnese which aims to provide courses and to organise events with the aim of “spreading knowledge, techniques and the mindset for regenerative practices” and focussing on the areas of permaculture, agroforestry, regenerative farming, non-violent communication, natural building, healthy nutrition and movement, and renewable energy solutions.

Archipelagos is primarily an organisation devoted to marine conservation and marine wildlife. However, it is also involved in conservation efforts to protect the fauna, flora and their habitats in the islands of the Eastern Aegean, focusing on species of special concern with imminent threats. One particularly interesting project concerns the creation of the Aegean Seed Bank which is housed in facilities of the University of the Aegean on the island of Samos. Many of the traditional varieties of cultivated plants have disappeared and the aim of the Seed Bank is to collect and preserve local varieties of agricultural plants, mainly from the Aegean islands.

The Greek Herbalist is a website dedicated to exploring Herbal Medicine from Ancient to Modern Greece with information on Ancient Greek Herbalists, Greek herbal history, ancient medicine and botanical mythology. Courses on many aspects of Greek herbalism are offered via the site and educational tours to locations in Greece are organised on a regular basis.