Who we are

Callisto Wildlife and Conservation Society was established in 2004 as a non-profit organization based in Thessaloniki by a group of individuals with scientific knowledge, experience and expertise in environmental issues, with a commitment to contribute to the organization’s goals.

For 22 years now, Callisto has been engaged in environmental research and management, aiming to protect and preserve the natural environment and natural resources as public and collective asset.

Callisto’s core actions mainly focus on:

-Promoting the sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife, with a focus on two carnivore species, the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and the wolf (Canis lupus), and their habitats covering a wide range of mountainous and semi-mountainous ecosystems in the country.

-Studying and protecting populations and habitats of large carnivores and other endangered wildlife species while addressing the conservation of wildlife in our country, in the context of the overall need to maintain ecological balance.

-Participating in networks and initiatives both at the national and European level to better defend its goals. It is represented in the Large Carnivores Initiative for Europe and the Infrastructure & Ecology Network Europe (IENE), a pan-European network of specialized organizations addressing environmental issues related to transportation infrastructure.

-Transferring of know-how and best practices to competent public authorities (Forestry Services, Local Government, National Parks, etc.). Callisto maintains a permanent collaboration with academic institutions (Universities, Research Institutes) promoting applied scientific knowledge and research.

-Disseminating and implementing management measures that effectively improve the coexistence conditions between humans and wildlife. Through its Emergency Team, it addresses incidents of interaction between large carnivores and humans and supports actions preventing animal-vehicle collisions.

-Disseminating actions, results and messages through educational programs for children and adults, awareness campaigns, volunteering programs in important protected areas and addressing the social dimension of large carnivore management and protection.

Until now, Callisto has successfully worked on over 90 projects, including 13 European “LIFE” projects, 4 “INTERREG” projects, 1 Horizon and numerous research and/or cross-border projects. In May 2018, Callisto’s work was doubly honored by the European Commission with the “Natura2000 Award” and “Best of the Best LIFE Projects” for the LIFE ARCTOS/KASTORIA project.

All of us at Callisto, along with our volunteers and supporters, with 20 years of experience, continue together to preserve wildlife, improve its coexistence conditions with humans and defend our environment as a public and collective good.