Greece to declare two new national marine parks

The government is preparing to announce the creation of two new marine parks – in the Ionian and Aegean seas – ahead of the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Greece (April 15-17).

The first will span 11 groups of deserted islands and islets from west of the island of Milos to Nisyros, known as “the Greek Galapagos” due to their rich biodiversity. The second will encompass an area starting north of Kefalonia and ending at Kythera and Antikythera.

In addition to being significant politically as nations hosting such environmental events use them to announce important initiatives, the parks are of environmental significance, as they will increase Greece’s Natura 2000 marine sites from about 20% of the country’s waters currently.The initiative also entails protection for deserted islands and islets, some of which have been targeted for investment projects, negatively impacting the environment.