The Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN) announced today, Monday, December 29, that the Special Environmental Studies for the marine parks announced last summer have been approved. The Presidential Decrees are now being drafted and will be submitted for ratification to the Council of State (StE), which is essentially a formal procedure.

At the same time, OFYPEKA (the Organization for Natural Environment and Climate Change) is establishing branches in Milos, Amorgos, and Kythira and is being equipped with vessels for the surveillance of the marine parks. In parallel, with resources from the Recovery Fund, a monitoring system for the marine parks will be created using drones, radar, and other means.

Announcement of the Ministry of Environment and Energy

Today, the Special Environmental Studies (SES) of the National Marine Park of the Ionian Sea and the National Marine Park of the South Aegean 1 – Southern Cyclades were approved, following the incorporation of the results of the public consultation on the studies. The formal establishment of the two marine parks will be completed with the drafting and submission to the Council of State of the corresponding Presidential Decree drafts.

With the two new National Marine Parks, protection is achieved for more than 35% of Greece’s territorial waters, exceeding ahead of time our country’s initial European commitment to protect at least 30% of our territorial waters by 2030.

It is noted that, in the areas of the two new Parks, the use of towed fishing gear that comes into contact with the seabed is explicitly prohibited.

At the same time, three new OFYPEKA branches were created in Milos, Amorgos, and Kythira for more effective park management. For enhanced supervision, OFYPEKA is being rapidly reinforced—with close cooperation with the Hellenic Coast Guard and environmental organizations—with three offshore patrol vessels (coast-guard type) and nine inflatable offshore vessels. The creation of an integrated monitoring system for Marine Protected Areas also includes the procurement—through the Recovery and Resilience Fund—of specialized equipment (among others, aerial and underwater drones, radar, etc.).

In addition, 33 new staff positions for the management of the marine parks have already been secured and will be announced through ASEP in the coming months.

National Marine Parks are networks of interconnected protected areas. Their creation offers significant additional advantages compared to the previously isolated protected areas of the Natura 2000 network, mainly due to a holistic ecological, administrative, and socio-economic approach. Their purpose is to preserve unique biodiversity, protect and restore habitats, and promote awareness of the marine environment.

The Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Stavros Papastavrou, stated:

“With the approval of the Special Environmental Studies (SES) of the National Marine Park of the Ionian Sea and the National Marine Park of the South Aegean 1 – Southern Cyclades, we are taking another decisive step toward protecting our country’s marine wealth. At the same time, Greece’s leading role in Europe in the protection of marine ecosystems and biodiversity is reaffirmed, always within the framework of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s commitments at the 9th Our Ocean Conference. The formal establishment of the two new Parks will find us operationally ready. The prohibition of specific fishing practices and the strengthening of OFYPEKA with well-trained staff and surveillance means ensure that the protection of these areas will not remain on paper, but will be implemented in practice.”