2024-06-23 00:56:13
With at present’s letter to the Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 9 environmental organizations and businesses request the implementation of the commitments undertaken by the Greek authorities within the context of the ninth Worldwide Convention on Oceans held two months in the past in Athens.
The organizations spotlight the necessity for concrete initiatives and actions, funding and a timetable to make the commitments a actuality. Specifically, concerning the dedication to the creation of two new nationwide marine parks within the Ionian and Aegean, they level out the must be accompanied by applicable conservation measures based mostly on the ecological wants of the areas, and to be based mostly on clear and participatory processes.
Particularly, in relation to the Ionian Nationwide Marine Park, which features a vital a part of the ecologically essential space of the Hellenic Trench, our nation should instantly take initiatives to ban all burdensome actions, such because the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, together with seismic surveys and the usage of sonar throughout navy workouts. It’s also essential to take measures to manage navigation to keep away from ship collisions with marine mammals. With out safeguards in place to guard essential and endangered marine species, new marine parks will stay solely on paper.
Moreover, the organizations name for focused motion in order that the dedication to ban trawling inside marine protected areas is applied on the premise of an built-in simply transition plan for the fishing trade with the participation of fishermen and different stakeholders, and to make sure that trawl fishing effort is not going to be shifted to different areas of excessive ecological worth.
Lastly, within the letter, the necessity for the speedy implementation of Greece’s current obligations concerning the institution of conservation measures for the marine areas of the Natura 2000 community and the institution of marine spatial planning is put ahead. It’s famous, on the similar time, that the Prime Minister of Greece has personally dedicated from September 2021 to the World Congress of the Worldwide Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Marseille to finish the continuing course of to determine the protecting measures for the areas of the community Natura 2000. Nonetheless, this dedication stays unfulfilled. Failure to adjust to these important EU obligations places the safety of the marine atmosphere in danger and exposes the nation to worldwide and European stage and doable additional condemnations by the Court docket of Justice of the EU, whereas rendering the current commitments throughout the framework of the ninth Worldwide Convention utterly null and void for the oceans.
The co-signatory environmental organizations expressed their willingness to contribute constructively and considerably to the implementation of the commitments, to be able to make sure the well being of marine ecosystems and subsequently the well-being of society and the economic system of our nation.
See the organizations’ letter right here.
The co-signatory organizations:
Hellenic Ornithological Society
Greenpeace
Sure
MEDASSET
Blue Marine Basis
Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF)
Pelagos, Institute of Cetacean Analysis
Thalassa Basis
WWF Greece
Supply ERT