Prehistoric beauty
Greek, Chinese geoparks go hand in hand on preservation
Geography experts from the Greek island of Lesvos in the Aegean Sea have recently grabbed Chinese media attention thanks to their joint preservation work with their Chinese peers on fossilized dinosaur footprints in a suburb of Beijing.
Nickolas Zouros is one of them. He is also the president of the Global Geoparks Network, which aims to preserve Earth heritage for future generations and director of the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest.
Additionally, he’s a veteran geologist in the field of research and preservation work in China.
“Our scientific research with China started long ago, almost 30 years ago when for the first time I visited the Yanqing area for scientific research on active tectonics,” said Zouros.
The experienced Greek geologist knows China’s geoparks very well.
“China is the country that hosts the biggest number of UNESCO recognized geoparks. There are 37, and through this network we established a very fruitful collaboration, exchanging know-how, people, but also experiences on how to preserve geological monuments and give future generations the opportunity to see these unique elements of Earth’s history,” Zouros said.
Sino-Greek collaboration in this field has deepened in recent years through agreements between the Lesvos geopark and Chinese geoparks and joint projects, especially projects with Beijing’s Yanqing Geopark concerning the conservation of the petrified trees on Lesvos and fossilized dinosaur footprints in Yanqing.
“We believe that through scientific research and collaboration we can improve the relationship and better knowledge between our peoples,” the professor noted.
Zouros’ colleague Ilias Valiakos, a UNESCO Global Geopark evaluator and vice director of the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, has also visited China on many occasions to work together with Chinese scientists. He has also taught many Chinese professors and students back on Lesvos.
“We have been working in the fields of conservation of wood and fossils for more than 25 years in the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest. These techniques are nothing more than the development and adjustment of techniques that archaeology has been using from more than a century,” he explained.
With a strong background in conservation from archaeology, Greek geology and geography experts have developed techniques, which they would like to share with their colleagues across the globe, including China.
The entire island of Lesvos in the northeastern Aegean Sea has been designated as one of 140 UNESCO Global Geoparks worldwide on account of its outstanding geological, cultural and ecological heritage and efforts to preserve and promote it over the past three decades.
The petrified forest is one of the most impressive things a visitor can see on Lesvos, said Zouros. It’s a unique natural monument that was created 20 million years ago due to the volcanic eruptions that took place on the island.
Tree trunks, leaves, reptiles, birds, fishes and small mammals were silicified. The petrified trunks in the park and exhibits at the museum offer a vivid picture of the geological history and the evolution of life in this part of the Eastern Mediterranean over the last 20 million years.
Among the highlights of the park today is a 7.2-meter long tree trunk.
“The petrified tree behind me is the tallest standing petrified tree in the world. It belongs to the secoya family. It is a giant secoya. At that time several different species that do not exist anymore in the Mediterranean used to live on Lesvos island 20 million years ago,” Zouros said.
The main site of the petrified forest has been closed to the public in recent months due to an extensive restoration preservation project. This is the first time that the site has closed since it opened three decades ago. The site will reopen in the summer of 2019.