On 2021 the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest designed and organised an exhibition entitled “ Understanding Climate Change: Exploring the consequences in the geological record. Cenozoic ecosystems and the current threat”. The aim of the exhibition is to introduce to the public the unique natural monument of Lesvos, the Lesvos Petrified Forest, and to raise public awareness on climate change through presenting past climate changes and their consequences. It explores the question about the impacts that climate change has on ecosystems during the history of Earth. Using the example of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos in Greece, we convey how we can learn from the processes that have repeatedly changed our planet over millions of years to shape our own future.

The exhibition includes impressive parts of petrified tree trunks, leaves, branches, roots, fruits and volcanic rocks, as well as detailed information material about the Lesvos Petrified Forest. All these exhibits are indicators of past climate changes. The visitors have thus the opportunity to understand in depth the history of the Earth and how climate systems have worked. The information materials lead them to realize how humans are currently massively intervening in these large-scale and long-term processes and which might be the potential impacts of such interventions.

The exhibition “ Understanding Climate Change: Exploring the consequences in the geological record. Cenozoic ecosystems and the current threat” was held at Messel Pit Fossil Site, an Unesco World Heritage Site and the most important fossil bearing site in Germany, in collaboration with the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald Unesco Global Geopark from July 10th 2021. Due to its high attendance, it was extended till 15 May 2022.

The exhibition opening took place on Saturday, July 10th, in the presence of the Hessian Minister for Science and Arts, Mrs. Angela Dorn and Mrs. Ioanna Kriebardi, Consul General of Greece in Frankfurt and lots of people. It was supported by the «Rural regeneration through systemic heritage-led strategies — RURITAGE» Programme in which both the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest and the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald participate.

The exhibition is supported by the «Rural regeneration through systemic heritage-led strategies — RURITAGE» Programme in which both the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest and the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald participate.