Vulnerability to natural hazards and risk perception in remote islands – the case of Lesvos and Agios Efstratios, Greece

The North Aegean Sea prefecture consists of nine islands, Lesvos being the biggest of them and the institutional and political centre with approximately 85,000 inhabitants, and Agios Efstratios the smallest island with 280 inhabitants. Lesvos is often confronted with earthquakes, floods, flash floods, wildfires, and unstable slopes (landslides). Agios Efstratios experienced one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in Greece (7.1 Richter in 1968) and recently (2017) was in a state of emergency due to the extreme overpopulation of locusts resulting to serious environmental degradation, leading to mass death of dairy animals which are essential for agriculture in a remote island. Apart from natural hazards, both islands under study are confronted with challenges linked to the refugee influx and their remoteness including isolation, fragmentation and population decline. The study aims at exploring different dimensions of vulnerability (physical, social, institutional and economic) and risk perception among citizens on both islands and their connection to remoteness. Preliminary results from individual case studies on both islands (Eressos, Mesotopos, Sykamia in Lesvos and Agios Efstratios) will be presented.