A Participatory Approach to Water Resilience and Traditional Knowledge Revitalisation
The participatory construction of 120 dry-stone check dams along the Taxiarchis Skafis and Choni streams in Sifnos has been successfully completed. Implemented between May 19 and June 6, 2025, this nature-based intervention is part of our CARDIMED project, coordinated in Sifnos by the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA).
The check dams were strategically placed to reduce flood risk, regulate water flow, promote soil infiltration and recharge the aquifer — critical goals in an era of increasingly frequent droughts and floods due to climate change. Their construction was based on scientific site selection, including field research and drone-based topographic modelling. The selected streams feed into the Kamares watershed, home to key infrastructure like the island’s port and public amenities, and known for past flooding incidents.
The project highlights the value of reviving traditional dry-stone building techniques to address environmental challenges in a low-impact, sustainable way. It also supports intergenerational knowledge transfer and active local engagement.
The construction was led and implemented by Boulouki – an itinerant workshop for traditional building techniques – under the auspices of the Municipality of Sifnos, in collaboration with local stakeholders.
Learn more in the official video. Watch here.
Open Construction and Training Programme
Alongside the construction, an open participatory programme was held. From Monday to Friday, 07:00–15:00, the mobile construction site was open to the public, inviting local volunteers to join the Boulouki construction team which was consisted of experienced dry-stone craftspeople and nine young apprentices in building the dams. This on-site engagement fostered a rich exchange of skills and perspectives, turning the construction site into a living lab of local knowledge, care for water, and sustainable landscape management.
Community Event
To mark the near-completion of the project, a public celebration was held on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 20:00 at the Marianthi Simou Cultural Centre in Sifnos. The event brought together residents, local actors, craftspeople and project partners. It showcased the results of the construction, reflected on the process, and celebrated the local knowledge and community effort that made it possible.
This initiative, developed under sub-DEMO1.3 of CARDIMED, showcases how cultural heritage can be part of climate action, offering a replicable model for community-based climate and water resilience strategies across the Mediterranean, blending traditional knowledge, scientific planning, and citizen participation.
