They are set up today until September 22 in public consultation
The two new national maritime parks in southern Cyclades and Ionian.They are set up today until September 22 in public consultation, in accordance with national and Union law, in order for interested citizens and bodies to submit their comments and proposals.
As the RIS has made it known, these will be taken into account for the final formation of the Ionian National Marine Park and the South Aegean National Park 1 – Southern Cyclades.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, national maritime parks are networks of interconnected protected areas. Their creation offers significant additional advantages over the hitherto individual protected areas of the Natura 2000 network, mainly due to holistic ecological, administrative and socio -economic approach. Their purpose is to maintain unique biodiversity, protect and restore habitats and promote awareness of the marine environment.
The Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou stated:
“The two new national maritime parks are aimed at effectively protecting our seas and safeguarding the biodiversity of our country. Their extent to the Ionian and Southern Cyclades exceeds the original commitments of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, approaching 27,500 sq. Km. With their introduction, we achieve more than 35% of our country’s territorial waters on the one hand, on the other hand the European goal of our country much earlier than 2030.
This is how we more effectively protect ecosystems in our two seas, the unique natural wealth of our country, which belongs to all of us. It is the first phase: Our government will continue to establish new maritime parks in other areas of the Aegean, with environmental cohesion, as the sea and the host species are an integral part of our national identity. We have to safeguard it and hand it over to our children to future generations, just as we found it: full of life. “