Η μελέτη της θαλάσσιας βιοποικιλότητας και του θαλάσσιου περιβάλλοντος στη διαδρομή της επιστημονικής σκέψης

Abstract

Knowledge about marine biodiversity and the marine environment was gradually constructed through a slow and non-linear process. In contrast to the terrestrial world, the aquatic environment did not constitute a favoured subject of scientific inquiry and study. The first part of the paper examines the gradual advancement of knowledge concerning marine living organisms, as reflected in the works of the most prominent scholars. It traces the path from initial observation and naturalistic description to the development of systematic scientific theories. The second part explores the shift of the scientific community, from the mid-19th century onward, towards the study of the marine environment itself, intending to decipher its functional mechanisms through oceanographic expeditions. It was recognised that factors within the aquatic environment shaped marine life.  Indeed, investigating the causes behind the decline in fisheries production led to the creation of the first intergovernmental European organisations that aimed at the more rational exploitation of the sea and the emergence of fisheries science. In the final part, the paper focuses on the introduction of these new scientific directions into the Greek context. The election of Eleftherios Venizelos in 1910 and the implementation of his modernisation program also incorporated the field of fisheries. In this context, oceanography was officially introduced as a science, and the first state initiatives which were linked to the study of the marine environment for the improvement of domestic fisheries were documented.