Facts

Greece holds the record of the only European country which doesn’t own the land of the area that has been called to protect.

During the late seventies there were many people who grabbed the opportunity to benefit financially from tourism and invest in buying the land around? the loggerhead turtle’s nesting sites.

Since the Greek government was totally absent back then, the loggerhead turtle’s natural environment had been gradually diminished over the years because of Zakynthos island’s rapid development.

According to Archelon, out of over 11 kilometres of nesting beaches only half of them are still attracting the sea turtles today.

Mr Sourbet Laurent, who is working for the Integrated Planning Department? of the National Marine Park expressed his opinion on the private ownership of the the park’s land:

“Greece holds a unique record in Europe. The land of the National Marine Park belongs to private land owners, which is absolutely normal to cause many conflicts with the requirements of the Presidential degree.”

The President of the Management Body of the National Marine Park, Mrs Karagouni-Kyrtsoy recognizes that the compensation to the private land owners might have been a solution during the eighties and notes regarding the illegal buildings on Daphne beach, which raised the conflict between an aliance of three NGO’s and her:

“The Presidential Degree of 1999, which led to the establishment of the Marine Park is even stricter than the initial European Union’s instructions.”

“You can’t let people build their houses near the beach, where they own the land and then suddenly tell them go away. This is the kind of black and white policy and I believe in the effectiveness of the actions.”

During the past two decades the situation was mainly controlled by the conservationists, who have managed to call off the construction of several holiday’s accomodation and businesses.

Mrs Venizelou, The President of Medasset Greece, explained that the compensation of the land should be done from the start of the construction of the illegal buildings:

“We as an NGO, have been trying for 23 years to pursuade the Greek government to either compensate or find ways to exchange the land and help the people and at the same time the beaches to be available for the turtles. But the state doesn’t seem to do anything because of the political cost.”

According to Mrs Venizelou Zakynthos the election of only one MP in Zakynthos can controll the electoral results of all Greece and nobody would like to dissatisfy his voters.