How Greece Is “Locking In” the Aegean Sea

In the bosom of the Aegean Sea, a maritime portion where biology initiatives are often viewed done the lens of broader geopolitical sensitivities, Greece’s proposed “National Marine Park of the South Aegean – Southern Cyclades” aims to reshape onshore use and biology extortion crossed extended land and marine zones.

The caller framework, which has already been circulated by the bureau of Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou to the applicable ministries for signatures, introduces a total prohibition connected trawling and different dragged sportfishing gear, imposes restrictions connected both professional and recreational fishing, and limits large-scale technical projects and infrastructure improvement within environmentally delicate areas.

At the halfway of the Natura-protected zones, areas will stay efficaciously inaccessible to quality intervention, while much mean onshore uses are projected for peripheral zones.

As a result, the so-called Sustainable Natural Resource Management Areas, where the extortion model is much flexible compared to stricter areas, are expected to sorb the bulk of permitted activities and improvement projects.

Within those zones, operation of caller homes, tourist accommodations, and infrastructure projects will beryllium allowed, a proviso linked to caller authorities that opened the doorway for municipality improvement connected up to 20% of these areas.

The Islands Included successful the New Marine Park

The projected Aegean marine parkland includes off-plan land areas crossed the Southern Cyclades and Natura-protected zones connected larger islands such as Milos, Kimolos, Folegandros, Sikinos, Santorini, Anafi, Amorgos, Irakleia, Schinoussa, Koufonisia, Kinaros and Levita, together with their surrounding marine areas.

The draught Presidential Decree defines 196 extortion zones, including:

• seven Absolute Nature Protection Zones,
• 103 Nature Protection Zones,
• 18 Habitat and Species Conservation Zones,
• and 68 Sustainable Natural Resource Management Zones.

“The constitution of nationalist marine parks — while work is besides progressing connected the decree for the Ionian Marine Park — constitutes a substantial betterment for the integrated absorption of maritime space,” Papastavrou told Greek newspaper TO VIMA.

He added that “Greece is becoming Europe’s starring state successful marine biology protection, exercising its sovereign rights successful signifier while contributing to European and planetary biodiversity and marine conservation goals.”

The Strictest Protection Core

The rules projected for the Absolute Nature Protection Zones are exceptionally restrictive.

On the islets of Megas and Mikros Avelas, arsenic well arsenic the steep rocky coasts of Irakleia, nary imperishable oregon supporting infrastructure will beryllium permitted.

In different zones — including captious monk seal breeding areas such arsenic the Blue Waters of Polyaigos, the capes of Agios Georgios and Gerakia connected Kimolos, and bluish Anafi — lone facilities related to ecosystem protection, management, and technological probe will beryllium considered compatible.

Similarly, the Nature Protection Zones, which screen broader onshore and marine areas of precocious ecological importance, will stay under a strict — though not implicit — extortion regime.

In 35 of these zones, including the islets of Palaia and Nea Kameni adjacent Santorini, parts of Kimolos, Milos, and Amorgos, arsenic well arsenic the steep eastbound coasts of Folegandros, galore activities will beryllium prohibited, including cafés, aquaculture facilities, roadworthy construction, floating leisure structures, and more.

In different 36 zones, covering Posidonia seagrass meadows astir Milos, Anafi, and Amorgos, arsenic well arsenic marine and coastal areas extending up to 50 meters from the shoreline, aquaculture, seaplane bases, desalination units, and adjacent the postulation of plants oregon shells will beryllium banned.

Floating infrastructure and marine leisure facilities will besides beryllium prohibited, with the objection of the Posidonia meadows adjacent Santorini’s Akrotiri.

Special Coastal and Marine Management Areas

The Habitat and Species Conservation Zones chiefly see coastal and marine areas surrounding the larger islands, areas extending beyond 1.5 nautical miles from the coastlines of smaller islets, and sportfishing shelters astatine Palaia and Nea Kameni adjacent Santorini.

In general, sports facilities, mining activities, renewable vigor installations, and akin projects will not beryllium permitted there.

At the two sportfishing shelters, the instauration of seaplane infrastructure will besides beryllium prohibited.

More broadly, escaped anchoring will stay allowed within larboard zones — but where Posidonia meadows oregon reefs are present.

In parts of western and southern Milos, operation and tourism improvement will look strict limitations affecting accommodations, restaurants, parking facilities, and mining activity.

Regarding vigor infrastructure, photovoltaic systems, geothermal energy, and vigor transmission networks will person approval, while wind farms will beryllium excluded.

Conditional Development successful “Flexible” Zones

The Sustainable Natural Resource Management Areas— known arsenic “Zone D” areas — incorporate the park’s most flexible regulatory framework, where galore onshore uses whitethorn beryllium approved under specific conditions and depending connected location.

In the southeastern conception of Gramvousa (north-western Crete), repairs and attraction of existing buildings will beryllium permitted, subject to restrictions connected exterior lighting.

On sandy beaches such arsenic Nikouria adjacent Amorgos, seasonal formation bars whitethorn run if already licensed, on with umbrellas and sunbeds.

In respective peripheral Natura zones — including eastbound Folegandros, eastbound and western Sikinos, and areas around Ios — aquaculture improvement whitethorn beryllium allowed adjacent astatine distances shorter than 200 meters from Posidonia seagrass meadows.

At the aforesaid time, larboard infrastructure projects are planned, including the enlargement of the larboard astatine Katapola connected Amorgos and installations astatine Ambourdechtaki connected Milos.

On Amorgos, the model besides allows for the operation of a sportfishing structure and traditional boatyard astatine Kalotaritissa, arsenic well arsenic attraction work connected existing piers.

In cultivation areas and beaches crossed bluish and southern Milos, Kimolos, and Polyaigos within Zone D areas, various commercialized installations and mining activities will beryllium prohibited.

However, residential buildings, restaurants, and tourist accommodations will still beryllium permitted.

In different cultivation areas and sandy beaches connected Anafi, Sikinos, Folegandros, Irakleia, and Koufonisia, residential and tourism-related uses will either beryllium restricted oregon wholly banned, but successful some already developed areas connected Schinoussa, Irakleia, and southern Kato Koufonisi.

Fishing regulations will use horizontally passim the full marine parkland done some temporal and geographic restrictions.

Authorities are promoting a prohibition connected nonrecreational and recreational sportfishing within a radius of 0.5 nautical miles from coastlines betwixt April 15 and May 31 each year.

During the remainder of the year, sportfishing will beryllium permitted wrong Nature Protection Zones with some exceptions, including Akrotiri Santorini, Gramvousa, Nikouria, and Katapola connected Amorgos.

Fishing will besides stay allowed astir the larger islands of the parkland and beyond 1.5 nautical miles from the coasts of smaller islets.