Greece puts nearly 200 beaches under lock and key

Athens: The Greek authorities has published a database of 198 “untrodden beaches” that it said are present disconnected limits to bars, restaurants and ample nationalist gatherings successful its latest effort to incorporate improvement and code the backlash to the throngs of tourists that descend connected the country’s coastlines each year.

The determination comes amid increasing vexation among residents of immoderate islands and parts of the coastal mainland that are fashionable with overseas visitors. Protests ballooned into a nationwide “beach towel movement” past bluish summertime arsenic disgruntled locals complained that they were being pushed disconnected their ain beaches by businesses seeking to instrumentality vantage of a tourer roar that brought much than 32 cardinal overseas visitors to Greece past year.

On the country’s Cycladic islands, residents joined forces with authorities to propulsion backmost against a question of construction.

Mandrakia, a accepted colony successful Milos, Greece.Credit: iStocl

The blimpish authorities has pledged to ace down connected the development, and connected seaside businesses that interruption regulations. In February, it passed a instrumentality to modulate the usage of the country’s coastline, imposing penalties of up to €60,000 euros ($100,000) for businesses occupying much than 50 per cent of beaches with umbrellas and prima beds.

Critics said the instrumentality did not spell acold capable to curb the problem, with immoderate claiming that the authorities was perpetuating the contented by not tackling amerciable onshore usage much comprehensively.

The database of “untrodden beaches” unveiled successful a associated statement betwixt Greece’s concern and situation ministers, is portion of a broader effort to reconstruct balance, the authorities said. “The main extremity is to harvester biology extortion with sustainable development,” Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said.

“The situation is simply a invaluable constituent of the Greek tourer product.”

Beautiful coastline connected the Greek land of Naxos.Credit: iStock

Under the initiative, the authorities was putting nationalist assets “under a strict model of rules, penalties and obligations,” Hatzidakis said. Inspections and transparency would beryllium increased, arsenic would “the enforcement of the law”.

The beaches connected the database are successful areas included successful the European Union’s Natura program, a web of susceptible habitats crossed Europe that are protected nether European law. Among the beaches listed are spots connected fashionable islands specified arsenic Milos, Naxos, Lesbos, Samothrace and successful the confederate Peloponnese peninsula.

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The islands were selected based connected the proposal of the country’s Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency and are each “areas of precocious ecological importance,” Environment and Energy Minister Theodoros Skylakakis said.

No conception of those beaches volition beryllium capable to beryllium auctioned disconnected for commercialized use, and the beingness of sun-loungers and umbrellas volition beryllium prohibited, arsenic volition the organisation of nationalist events involving much than 10 people.

Another inaugural being introduced by the authorities is simply a caller app called “MyCoast” connected which radical tin study violations.

Some environmentalists successful were not impressed by the announcement. Eleni Andrianopoulou, a nonmigratory of Naxos and a subordinate of a section “Save the beaches” group, said the government’s archetypal program had been for much than 1000 beaches nationwide to beryllium covered, adding that Natura areas necessitate “real protection”.

“From the opening we had stressed that this betterment for untrodden beaches was a fraud.”

Demetre Karavellas, manager of World Wildlife Fund Greece, said authorities were jumping the weapon with their database of pristine beaches, noting that determination were much than 100 marine and coastal areas successful Greece recognised by the Natura programme that person yet to beryllium efficaciously managed oregon conserved.

“The authorities should commencement by complying with its basal ineligible obligations earlier creating caller vague categories of protection,” helium said.

This nonfiction primitively appeared successful The New York Times.

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