Professor Nickolas C. Zouros

President of the Global Geoparks Network

Dean of Social Sciences Faculty, University of the Aegean

UNESCO Chair on Geoparks and the sustainable development of insular and coastal areas.

Nickolas C Zouros graduated with a PhD in Geology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1993 and then undertook several years post-doctoral research.

His main research interests are Physical Geography, Geodynamics, Structural Geology - Neotectonics, Mapping, Applied and Environmental Geology, Geological and Geological and Geomorphological Heritage – Geosites and Geoparks.

He is Professor of the Department of Geography and he has teaching experience for more than 25 years at the undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

He is Director at the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest since it’s foundation in 1995 with main duties the protection, research and promotion of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, a National Natural Monument.

He worked for the management of the Lesvos Petrified Forest protected area, and the development of geo-conservation, geo-tourism and sustainable local development as well as geo-education with special emphasis on geohazard awareness raising and sustainable local development. He was the Coordinator of the Lesvos Geopark since 2000.

Nickolas Zouros is one of the founders of the European Geoparks Network in 2000. In 2003 he was elected Coordinator of the European Geoparks Network and re-elected till 2018.

He contributed to the development of the Geoparks in many countries. Since 2004 Nickolas Zouros has worked closely with UNESCO to promote and develop the Geopark concept in Europe but, increasingly, in other parts of the world as a member of the Bureau of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). He has undertaken many expert and evaluation Geopark missions in many countries. In June 2014 he was one of the founders of the GGN Association and he contributed significantly to the establishment of the UNESCO Global Geoparks in the frame of the International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme. He is President of the Global Geoparks Network.

He was coordinator and researcher in a series of research projects on seismic hazard in the Aegean islands and neotectonic studies in Greece and abroad.

He is author of more than 100 scientific articles in international journals and conferences proceedings. Many of his publications focus on geoparks, earthquake geology, neotectonis and geohazard awareness raising.

He is author of 10 books on Geoparks, Geo-conservation and Geo-tourism.

He is the Coordinator of the International Institute on Geoparks Development of the University of the Aegean and the organizer of the International Intensive Course on Geoparks.