Vast number of illegal interventions lead to degradation of natural environment in the Marine National Park of Zakynthos - negligence from the authorities
Today is the European Day Natura 2000, and with that in mind, the environmental organizations ARCHELON, MEDASSET, MOm and WWF Hellas express their concern regarding the vast number of illegal interventions that have been observed inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos in recent months, causing serious environmental degradation within the protected region, posing a serious risk to the sea turtle nesting beaches.
In the Nature Conservation Area P3, behind Kalamaki beach – an important breeding site for the Caretta caretta sea turtle – a bulldozer destroyed the protected vegetation of the dunes in mid-March 2018 (Fig. 5, 6). The authorities were informed as soon as the illegal work began but opted to not catch the offenders in the act, allowing for the destruction to continue undisturbed for 3 days.
More Information:
Panagiota Theodorou, Environmental Conservation Officer, ARCHELON, 6940470194, conservation@archelon.gr Angela Klauschen, Director, MEDASSET, 210-3640389, angela.klauschen@medasset.org Christi Sotiriou, Media Relations & PR Manager, WWF Hellas, 210 3311988 (int. 116), 6947220699
Φωτογραφική τεκμηρίωση:
Fig. 1 & 2: Illegal Buildings near Gerakas beach.
Fig. 3 & 4: Opening road between the beaches of Dafni and Gerakas. Illegal work in 2015 (left) and 2018 (right).
Fig. 5 & 6: Destruction of dunes at Kalamaki beach.
Fig. 7: Sea turtle trace that abandoned effort to lay eggs due to the lack of removal of beach furniture in the evening (2017).
Speed races of 280 motorcycles on the protected beach and sand dunes of the southern Kyparissia Gulf, in the areas of Giannitsochori Ileias and Elaia Messinias
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