They grow up to marine parks

Decision week begins for the government on Monday with regard to maritime parks in the Ionian and South Aegean, focusing on their final extent and selection of their announcement time, with the June 9th milestone, the day of the work of the 3rd United Nations Conference for the United Nations.

The study on the Park of the New Aegean, following some interventions by the Ministry of National Defense (which are expected to be incorporated within days) has essentially been completed and the same applies to the Ionian Park, provided that some additional technical parameters are added.

The dominant issue in the current momentum for the government is speed, and both studies should be ready for the announcement by June 9, the day the prime minister intervenes at the Oceans Conference in France.

Interest, all of the time and the manner of announcement of the maritime parks remain on the table as it is not excluded that they will be announced either before Nice or Nice.

In any case, Greece, according to competent sources, should be technically ready until Nice to announce the parks, predicting the opportunity to expand them in the future, even during the public consultation, in order not to waste valuable time in discussions on the expansion of the protection areas.

As for the forthcoming Supreme Council of Cooperation « Inside the summer » in Ankara, where they are expected to meet Mitsotakis and Erdogan, it is not certain that it will ultimately affect the time of announcement of the maritime parks as it is likely that the environmental protection is not possible. An announcement of the Park in the New Aegean last April, when they referred to « geographical formations with indefinite domination » and warned that « Turkey would not accept any event ».

Regardless of the political management of the issue, the main proposals made on the table and aim to better protect the marine environment, mainly concern partial expansion of both parks, which are estimated to exceed 30,000 square meters. km, but without excluding the dimension of « capacity » in the protection areas.

In the case of the Aegean Park, what is mainly considered is whether the study should be included from the outset and above and above Amorgos, while, while the Ionian Park, the proposed additions are more parameters.

Like the recent proclamation of EEZ in the Ionian Sea that gives rise to the idea of ​​adding areas of the EEZ mainly to the « straits of Kythera », where spots have been found, which are steadily at risk of « trampling » by ships.

Or the reasonable thinking of protecting whole islands, such as Elafonissos and Antikythera, as well as island coasts where they find seal and seagulls refuge – such as Kefalonia and Kythera – on the grounds that if their marine areas are protected, they are not understood.