Eastern Thrace Research Articles

Motivation and Habits of a Wild Boar-Hunting Community.

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a widespread ungulate, the populations of which have recently increased throughout most of its range. This increase has caused negative impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, and society. Nowadays, the wild boar is considered both a valuable game and a pest. Wildlife managers need to know the habits and motivations of wild boar hunters, a key stakeholder group, for effectively managing this controversial mammal. We carried out face-to-face interviews with 134 wild boar hunters in the Evros Prefecture, in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, northern Greece to determine their hunting habits and their motivation for hunting. Most hunters owned a hunting dog (84.3%), hunted in groups of eight to nine people for 48 days, traveled 60 km, stayed outdoors for 4 nights, and spent weekly EUR 61 on average in each hunting season. Two motivations for wild boar hunting were prominent among the hunters (assessed on a 5-point scale; 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree): a strong recreation motivation (hunting as a recreational activity; mean score 4.159 ± 1.144 SD) and a considerable utility motivation (hunting for its use values; 3.404 ± 1.11). Both recreation and utility motivations were positively associated with the preference for further increases in wild boar populations. Sociodemographic characteristics and hunting habits variously affected motivations and preferred future population trends. The findings revealed specific habits and strong motivations among hunters. Such findings will be useful for designing and implementing education and outreach programs for informing hunters about the negative impacts of wild boars and the need for their control. The participation of hunters in the management process will be critical for its success.

Trend analysis of agricultural drought and crop yield in Eastern Thrace provinces of Turkey

Trend analysis of agricultural drought and crop yield in Eastern Thrace provinces of Turkey

A Groundbreaking Insight Into Primary Care Physiotherapists' Remuneration.

Introduction Physiotherapy in Greece, as part of primary health care (PHC), faces sound imbalances: reduced quality, productivity, and efficiency, along with rather inflexible remuneration schemes. This study is aimed at reporting the attitude and perceptions of Greek PHC physiotherapists towardtheir current remuneration and also at identifying any other preferable remuneration schemes. Methods A stratified proportional sampling study was undertaken, using an anonymous, electronic survey. The participants were 250 self-employed physiotherapists running their business in Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, being also contracted with the National Organisation for Healthcare Provision (EOPYY). The sample size stands for 34% of the population with a circa 5% margin of error. Results Nearly 9/10 physiotherapists (84%) underline that remuneration falls short of their productivity, leading to reduced job satisfaction. Moreover, their remuneration does not motivate them to provide services of higher quality (46%), while 58% of them stated that they are forced to claim informal fees. There is no clear desire regarding the remuneration scheme, but nearly ¼ of physiotherapists revealed their preference for the cost-per-case philosophy combined with co-payments. Conclusion The majority of physiotherapists believe that their current remuneration does not reflect their productivity nor the quality of their services and, therefore, informal payments arise. The preference of physiotherapists lies between cost-per-case fees and patient co-payments, which, however, favors supplier-induced demand and access inequalities, respectively. Hence, policymakers should revise the current remuneration scheme and overcome its deficiencies without creating new ones.

The Spring to Coast Approach in Small-Scale Catchments and Adjacent Coastal Zone

Surface waters, particularly rivers, are paramount in serving as the primary global water source and a pivotal economic driver. Various pollution sources can negatively impact water quality. The Water Framework Directive has established regulations that define specific chemical and ecological statuses for rivers. Consequently, there is an ongoing commitment to monitor their quality closely. This study involved the collection of samples from two watersheds (Laspias and Lissos) within the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region. The two rivers flow along regions characterized by notable environmental stressors, including WWTP, landfills, industrial zones, and agricultural areas, which also constitute substantial contributors to the local economy. This study’s outcomes, covering from springs to coast, are presented and analyzed using various indices, including the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI), discriminate analysis, and the trophic status index (TRIX). Water quality assessment included the measurement of physicochemical parameters, common pollutants, and major ions. The analysis revealed “bad” water quality status along most of the Laspias and in specific sectors of the Lissos, with parameters exceeding the thresholds set by legislation. The rivers demonstrated significant organic and nutrient pollution. Given that water quality in these rivers is significantly influenced by urban, agricultural, and industrial runoff, the imperative need for change necessitates interventions to improve water quality. Observations and measurements are fundamental prerequisites for raising awareness among citizens and stakeholders and for finding effective management measures for the two river basins.

Chipped lithic artefacts from Paradimi and Krovili (Thrace, Northern Greece). Remarks from the 2020 surface investigations

The paper presents flaked lithic materials from two tell-type Neolithic sites Paradimi and Krovili located in Eastern Thrace. They were obtained during systematic and detailed surface surveys. All the collected lithic materials were examined and described. Some conclusions about processing and sources of raw materials were presented along with comparisons to other Neolithic sites in northern Greece.

A general method for multi–hazard intensity assessment for cultural resources: Implementation in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece

The protection of cultural resources from natural and human–induced hazards has been an area of intense scientific interest over time. The literature highlights that, despite the intensive research efforts to date, there is a lack of a commonly accepted hazard assessment framework that supports decision–making to limit their negative effects and contribute to the protection of cultural heritage. In this paper a general method for assessing the intensity of multiple hazards on cultural resources is developed and applied. The proposed method utilizes a) the capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), b) open geospatial hazard data and c) an original 7–step integrated method developed in this research. Key features of the proposed method are its ability to consider and synthesize intensities of both quantitative hazards such as earthquake, flood and hazards expressed on a qualitative scale, such as wildfire and landslide. The proposed method is applied to assess the exposure of 918 cultural resources of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece, to earthquake, flood, landslide, sea level rise, wildfire, soil erosion and industrial–technological accident and develop an aggregate multi–hazard intensity index (mhii) for each of the cultural resources in this region. The proposed method can be applied to hazard intensity assessment for resources other than cultural, such as the human capital of a region, infrastructure, environment, and economic facilities. This provides researchers, scientists, and managers of cultural sites with a tool to set priorities for the design of appropriate mitigation strategies to reduce the negative impacts of hazards.

Edirne Arkeoloji Müzesindeki Harala Kalesi’nden Kilise Aydınlatma Araçları

Harala / Garella Fortress is located in the modern-day village of Altınyazı, 25 km southwest of Uzunköprü in the province of Edirne, Eastern Thrace. The Fortress was in the territory of Plotinopolis / Pamphylon (Uzunköprü) during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
 In 1974, during some work for the construction of a water channel, a group of metal objects are said to have been found in the church ruins of Harala Fortress. The metal objects are all copper alloy (bronze) lighting devices and are now stored in Edirne Archaeological Museum. They were probably part of a larger group of lighting devices associated with the episcopal complex during the MidByzantine period.

Coastal Water Quality Modelling Using E. coli, Meteorological Parameters and Machine Learning Algorithms.

In this study, machine learning models were implemented to predict the classification of coastal waters in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (EMT) concerning Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration and weather variables in the framework of the Directive 2006/7/EC. Six sampling stations of EMT, located on beaches of the regional units of Kavala, Xanthi, Rhodopi, Evros, Thasos and Samothraki, were selected. All 1039 samples were collected from May to September within a 14-year follow-up period (2009-2021). The weather parameters were acquired from nearby meteorological stations. The samples were analysed according to the ISO 9308-1 for the detection and the enumeration of E. coli. The vast majority of the samples fall into category 1 (Excellent), which is a mark of the high quality of the coastal waters of EMT. The experimental results disclose, additionally, that two-class classifiers, namely Decision Forest, Decision Jungle and Boosted Decision Tree, achieved high Accuracy scores over 99%. In addition, comparing our performance metrics with those of other researchers, diversity is observed in using algorithms for water quality prediction, with algorithms such as Decision Tree, Artificial Neural Networks and Bayesian Belief Networks demonstrating satisfactory results. Machine learning approaches can provide critical information about the dynamic of E. coli contamination and, concurrently, consider the meteorological parameters for coastal waters classification.

Evaluation of Outpatient Access to the Greek Health System Considering the Constraints of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way healthcare is delivered in most healthcare systems around the world. It is now known that, in addition to the medical and economic impact of the pandemic on societies, there is another unmet medical need due to the difficulties and barriers that have existed and may still exist in the provision of health services at the primary care level in public hospitals. In Greece, there appears to have been a similar problem in citizens' access to health care in the country's public hospitals, which negatively affected the satisfaction of outpatients and significantly prevented them from receiving the medical care they needed. Methods This study relied on two international questionnaires; the Visit Specific Satisfaction(VSQ-9), an instrument measuring patients' satisfaction with their visit to the physician, and the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short-Form(PSQ-18), consisting of 18 questions measuring both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The questionnaires were collected electronically between 01.03.22 and 20.03.22 from two hundred and three outpatient residents of the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece. Results The results of the study show that satisfaction of hospital outpatient department users is positively influenced by both access to medical care after the last visit (p=0.008 < 0.05) and frequency of visits (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.178, p=0.012). In addition, lower satisfaction with access to care was found among participants with the lowest income (p=0.010) and those with a chronic illness (p=0.002), which was attributed to pandemic limitations in access to health care services in public hospital outpatient departments. Regarding the overall satisfaction of participants, 40.9% were dissatisfied, and 32.5% were dissatisfied with specific hospital services. Conclusions It was found that patients were hindered from accessing medical care in the hospital due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic. This seemed to cause problems both in accessing a specialist and in making appointments. Half of the outpatients in the samplereported having difficulty communicating with the hospital to make an appointment or to access medical services in general. A relationship was also found between patient satisfaction and the quality of services provided, in terms of medical services offered, such as their availability, and patient satisfaction with the appropriate information they receive from physicians during the pandemic period. The study also found that long-term care hospitals need to improve patient satisfaction with existing medical services.

Economic Valuation of Balkan Chamois Conservation

The Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) is a caprine of the rocky mountain slopes, threatened in Greece by illegal hunting and population isolation. We used a contingent valuation method to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for chamois conservation of 500 residents of the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. Most of the participants (61.6%) were WTP a mean of EUR 41.6 for chamois conservation, totaling EUR 6.03 million for the target population. Attitudes toward and knowledge about chamois, moralistic worldviews (spiritual reverence and ethical concern for nature and wildlife), participation in wildlife-related consumptive outdoor activities (i.e., hunting and fishing), intention to participate in conservation actions for the species, and encounters with the species in the wild were positively associated with WTP for its conservation. Dominionistic worldviews (humans have mastery, physical control, and dominance of wildlife) were negatively associated with WTP, while highly educated females with high income were more WTP for implementing relevant conservation actions. Factors involving previous knowledge of the chamois positively influenced the WTP, thus, confirming the construct's bias toward charismatic species. The findings show that Greek residents highly value the chamois and its conservation and would be useful for advising this process and achieving its conservation management.

Detection and prevention of risks of public and national social policies

The present research effort attempts to achieve the detection of issues involved in the exercise of public/national social policy in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece. The data was collected in May–October 2019, through the Community Centers of the social services of the region’s municipalities. The main method of analysis was clustering (two-step cluster analysis). The survey will also attempt to monitor the coverage of the needs not only of vulnerable population groups but also of the general population in need of social policy services (Center for Healthy Aging, 2004). Social welfare in the countries of Southern Europe appears, as far as funding is concerned, as a neglected pillar of social protection. It is a commitment of the state to meet the needs of all population groups. These needs are not standardized, do not have a defined problem framework and have a high degree of differentiation. New social risks cannot be dealt with by passive forms of intervention. These risks create enough insecurity and uncertainty in maintaining a minimum level of decent living (Velte, 2023). The exercise of social policy means all statutory measures and applied policies or informal practices aimed at preventing and addressing the needs not only of vulnerable population groups but also of the general population of the territory, both at the reception stage with the state services and at the stage of integration or “rehabilitation” of individuals.

Hierarchy of Hiking Trails using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to highlight the natural environment

Hiking on trails is an activity to improve the quality of human life, a strategy for the development of the tourist activity and highlighting the natural wealth of region. The present study deals with the hiking trails of the Municipality of Samothrace (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece). In this study, the trails were classified based on criteria with the contribution of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, which determined the weights of the criteria. Seven criteria (Starting Elevation, Summit Elevation, Slope, Degree of Difficulty, Length, Hiking Time, and Starting Point Distance from the City) which are considered important for the selection of a hiking trail by hikers were compared pairwise and based on the results the hiking trails classified. The Analytical Hierarchy Process can help and guide both managers and people who make decisions about the sustainable use and protection of the natural environment, and hikers who consider the criteria for trail selection. In this way, priorities can be set for the maintenance of existing trails and the design of new ones.

The effect of the forest road network on grassland ecosystems with the contribution of the SWOT-AHP method

Forest road edges are habitats for many grassland species because these species grow in open environments with sufficient light. The study area was the Regional Unit of Kavala (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece). The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) were recorded according to the literature review and the criteria were also ranked using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method. According to the comparison of the SWOT criteria, Strengths occupy a percentage of 43.6%, followed by Weaknesses and Threats with a percentage of 24.5% and 17.3% respectively. Opportunities have the smallest percentage (14.6%). Regarding the sub-criteria of Strengths, the sub-criteria “The edges of forest roads protect high plant diversity, and a significant degree of endemism” ranks first with a percentage of 32.4%. From the comparison of the sub-criteria of Weaknesses, the sub-criteria “Forest roads create gaps by removing vegetation and divide the ecosystem” occupies the first place with a percentage of 37.9%. After comparing the sub-criteria of Opportunities, the sub-criterion “Through the forest road network there is access to new areas (grassland ecosystems)” receives the largest percentage (46.6%). The biggest Threat is the sub-criterion “The road network probably contributes to global macroclimate change” with a percentage of 52.4%.

Distribution, Population Status, Ecology, and Conservation of Eastern Imperial Eagle in Thrace Ecoregion (Bulgaria and Turkey)

The Thrace geographical region comprises territories of three states and covers an area of about 70,000 km2. At the end of the 19th century, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) was widespread throughout the region, occupying a variety of habitats. The mid-20th century marked the beginning of its dramatic decline, and in the latter half of the century the birds breeding in Northern Thrace amounted to 15–20 pairs, Eastern Thrace harbored scattered pairs along the lower reaches of the Maritsa River, while in Western Thrace the population was estimated at 6–10 pairs only. Since 2005, the intensive conservation activities implemented in Bulgaria have improved the status of the Eastern Imperial Eagle in Northern Thrace. At the same time, in Western Thrace (the Greece), only one pair was confirmed in Dadia National Park. Since 2008, intensive field research in European Turkey identified an abundant and stable population of the species. 63 different breeding territories were established in Bulgaria, while in European Turkey the number of identified breeding territories was 64. Most of the pairs were distributed in the European Green Belt area, along the former Iron Curtain, where human access had been strictly limited, thus preserving extremely rich biodiversity. Based on a long-term population survey of this species in Bulgaria and European Turkey, we estimated this subpopulation of the species at about 110–120 breeding pairs. Breeding of several pairs in Greece, in the Greece-Turkey border area, along the Evros River, is also possible. The Thracian sub-population of the Eastern Imperial Eagle is gradually increasing. The main threats are electrocution, poisoning, habitat destruction, shooting, disturbance, and food depletion. In Bulgaria the main conservation actions include: insulation of hazardous electric poles, purchase of land plots and their subsequent management as pastures, construction of artificial nests, restoration of breeding habitats through Poplar planting, supplementary feeding of pairs during the breeding and the wintering periods, guarding of nests at risk, satellite tracking, implementation of educational programs with children and local communities. Actions are needed to mitigate the limiting factors in European Turkey, as well as to study the status of the species in Northern Greece. International cooperation would guarantee the stability of the Thracian sub-population of the Eastern Imperial Eagle.

Marshaling Development: Turkish Thrace in the Interwar Years

Based on ethnographic fieldwork and archival research, this study examines the interwar transformation of Eastern Thrace through the prism of sovereignty. It argues that Turkish political and military elites came into a particular geopolitical consciousness about Thrace in the 1930s, viewing the region as a vulnerable yet indispensable frontier due to its geographical, symbolic, and military significance. In their quest to re-border Thrace to extend state sovereignty, the elites combined the tools of international diplomacy with a regional policy that sought to repopulate, redevelop, and refortify Thrace. The study coins the concept of marshaling development to describe these efforts to interrelated civilian and military ends. It demonstrates how officials marshaling development foresaw the reordering of peoples, materials, infrastructures, resources, and affective dispositions across the borderland space with a view to the joint goals of defense and development and with durable socioeconomic and demographic consequences extending well beyond the interwar years.

The Impact of Ambient Temperature on Cardiorespiratory Mortality in Northern Greece

It is well-established that exposure to non-optimum temperatures adversely affects public health, with the negative impact varying with latitude, as well as various climatic and population characteristics. This work aims to assess the relationship between ambient temperature and mortality from cardiorespiratory diseases in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in Northern Greece. For this, a standard time-series over-dispersed Poisson regression was fit, along with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM), using a maximum lag of 21 days, to capture the non-linear and delayed temperature-related effects. A U-shaped relationship was found between temperature and cardiorespiratory mortality for the overall population and various subgroups and the minimum mortality temperature was observed around the 65th percentile of the temperature distribution. Exposure to extremely high temperatures was found to put the highest risk of cardiorespiratory mortality in all cases, except for females which were found to be more sensitive to extreme cold. It is remarkable that the highest burden of temperature-related mortality was attributed to moderate temperatures and primarily to moderate cold. The elderly were found to be particularly susceptible to both cold and hot thermal stress. These results provide new evidence on the health response of the population to low and high temperatures and could be useful to local authorities and policy-makers for developing interventions and prevention strategies for reducing the adverse impact of ambient temperature.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS The Paris Meetings of the Allies on the Armistice of Mudanya, 6-7 October 1922

The Mudanya Armistice has without doubt a prominent place in the history of the Turkish National Struggle. Thus, there have been many studies and publications to this date which have dealt with all aspects of the armistice. It is for this reason that the current study will not deal with the armistice itself. Rather, as stated in the title, the study will look at Allies’ meetings in Paris on the Armistice of Mudanya on 6-7 October. More specifically, it will investigate how the British, French, and Italian statesmen (such as Lord Curzon, Poincaré, and Kont Sforza) evaluated the armistice. The conference between the Allies generals and Ismet Pasha commenced at Mudanya on 3 October. The conference had for its main object to obtain the cessation of hostilities between Nationalist Turkey and Greece and fix a line in Eastern Thrace behind which the Greek army was to be invited to retire. However, on the third day a deadlock was reached owing mainly to the demand of the Turks that Eastern Thrace should be restored to Turkey in full sovereignty previous to the entry into force of the Peace Treaty. Ismet Pasha had demanded that the whole of Eastern Thrace should be handed over to the Turks at once, and that all Allied officers, missions, and contingents should be immediately withdrawn. He had threatened to set his troops in motion if these demands were not at once conceded. Here the French general, who up till then had acted in accord with his Allies, had suddenly announced that he had instructions from the French Government to agree to the Turkish demands. The meeting had accordingly broken up, and the generals had returned to İstanbul in order to obtain instruction from their governments. The British Government had instructed General Harington not to return or resume negotiations until the matter was cleared up. On 6 October, Lord Curzon immediately went to Paris to discuss the matter with the French Prime Minister, Poincaré. If the Turks’ claim were upheld, and if the French Government supported General Charpy, Curzon argued, it would render all co-operations between the Allied Governments. Poincaré replied that General Charpy had no orders but only latitude to avoid war. He also added that France would in no event go to war with Turkey. Lord Curzon insisted upon respect for the neutral zones. For this reason, a clause in regard to them had been inserted in the convention and was a matter of concern to all three governments. The convention in its final form was signed in the early morning of the 11 October, after a session which lasted almost without interruption for about twelve hours.

Crisis, innovation and change management: a blind spot for micro-firms?

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how the owners of less competitive micro-firms (MFs) perceive the “crisis–innovation–change management” triangle. It examines whether their understanding of these overarching entrepreneurship theory principles is inadequate compared to the relevant scientific literature.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative analysis follows principles based on the inductive method and grounded theory, thickly describing the results from research conducted in a sample of 38 tertiary-sector MFs in the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region – one of the least developed and competitive areas across Europe. It triangulates the data with 11 respective small firms.FindingsMF owners perceive the crisis as an ostensibly exogenous phenomenon, innovation as something quasi-unattainable – although vaguely significant – and change management as a relatively unknown process. This understanding lies somewhat distant from the extant literature that examines the structural nature of crises, the innovational power to exit profound restructurings and the rebalancing requisite for building new overall organizational methods to survive this internal–external transformation. In essence, the triangle crisis–innovation–change management is a blind spot for the examined MF owners as they ignore its significance as an adaptation mechanism – contrary to several direct competitors.Social implicationsBased on the reluctance of these individuals to cultivate their systematic business knowledge, it seems unrealistic that they would seek to pay the necessary high price for business consulting in the future. An ideal solution would be to build public entrepreneurship clinics to provide these less dynamic and adaptable organizations with free preliminary or in-depth counseling. The Institute of Local Development-Innovation could aim to provide free consulting services to reinforce organizational physiology by coordinating different socioeconomic actors.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this empirical research is one of the first to test the comprehension of weaker MFs – less competitive and developed in organizational terms – to the triangle crisis–innovation–change management.

Challenging Communal Boundaries in Late Ottoman Thrace: Jews and Muslims in Dimetoka (Didymoteicho)

This article turns to microhistory to explain the targeting of Jews by their Muslim opponents following the Second Balkan War (July 1913) and the return of Ottoman rule to Dimetoka. It explores intercommunal tensions between Jews and Muslims over boundaries and representation in the public sphere that surfaced following the 1908 revolution and the project to construct a new building for the Jewish school in part of the town that was situated outside the boundaries of the traditional Jewish neighborhood. This article argues that the humiliation triggered by Ottoman defeat in the Balkan Wars, the atrocities against Muslim civilians at the hands of Bulgarian soldiers and irregulars, and calls to avenge the Muslims' suffering following the Ottoman retaking of Eastern Thrace provided legitimacy for retaliation against non-Muslims. Existing prewar tensions between Muslims and Jews in Dimetoka, combined with desires for revenge, made the latter into victims of sporadic violence and an economic boycott.

The Problem of Eastern Thrace at the Lausanne Conference

The article examines Bulgaria's attempt at the Lausanne Conference (1922 – 1923) to remove the East Thracian problem from the sphere of Bulgarian- Turkish negotiations and to link its solution with the Great Powers through an international treaty. The refusal of the Turkish delegation to discuss the problem at the international forum diverted it to the field of bilateral Bulgarian-Turkish relations. The obligatory population exchange between Greece and Turkey, adopted by the Lausanne Conference, left no room for hopes for the Bulgarian refugees to return to Eastern Thrace. The Treaty of Lausanne Treaty became the defining document for the rights and freedoms of non-Muslim minorities on Turkish territory, including the Bulgarians remaining within the borders of the Turkish Republic.