To Vima’s “Explaining Greece” podcast aims to unpack the complexities of modern Greece – one story at a time. New episodes will be published every Thursday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
This week’s podcast takes a look at Greece’s marine areas, and why environmental organizations say they’re not receiving the protection they need.
Often when non-Greeks think of Greece, they think of sun-drenched beaches and white-washed villages overlooking seaside cliffs. Of islands and pristine blue waters. However, a joint report released by nine different Greek environmental organizations this autumn alleges that the Greek government is not protecting its marine areas adequately. Specifically, the report found that only 12 out of 174 marine Natura 2000 sites, which are recognized as protected areas in Greece, have legislation that enforces and specifies their protection. The 162 remaining sites are only protected on paper– meaning they are “paper parks”.
We spoke to Demetres Karavellas, CEO of WWF Greece, one of the groups that co-authored the report, about Greece’s Marine Protected Areas. “Greece is actually one of the top biodiversity hotspots in Europe, said Karavellas, “So we’re lucky, we’re gifted to have so many protected areas, but that also comes with responsibility.”
He discussed the protections needed for the loggerhead sea turtles in the Marine Park of Zakynthos and the monk seals on the island of Iaros. Karavellas also pointed to a 2020 EU Court of Justice ruling that found Greece had failed to implement proper conservation measures, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ pledge to go beyond creating mere “paper parks.” But has that promise been kept?
What does it truly mean to protect Greece’s marine areas, and what steps have been taken so far?
Listen now to this week’s episode. And for next time follow “Explaining Greece” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and turn on your notifications to be the first to listen to our new episodes every Thursday.
