Bee-eaters by a Cretan stream.
Terrapins on an Aegean island's small wetland.
Relic of a willow forest by Lake Taka, Peloponnisos.
GOVERNMENT ACTION NEEDED NOW
Over the last few years, interest in the environment has spread among both the public and the politicians. Public protest has been responsible for stopping several destructive industrial complexes including proposed petrochemical, nuclear, and hydro-electric developments within important natural areas. Government is slowly responding: new and progressive environmental laws are being passed in parliament. But more than just shouts and paperwork are needed to save the wildlands of Greece.
The WILD Campaign, the international initiative of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, is working together with local Greek environmental organizations to save the natural environment of Greece. As part of its mandate to map and preserve global wilderness, WILD sponsored Stamatis Zogaris, a Greek-Canadian naturalist, to gather information on Greek nature and represent the views of several scientists and Greek conservation groups at its June 1990 wilderness mapping conference in Hawaii. In all, over 150 conservationists from 26 countries attended the conference. WILD believes that popularizing knowledge of the planet's remaining natural areas will enhance public and government appreciation of the need for wilderness preservation.
This report was produced in association with the following two non-profit organizations, which are actively working to protect wild nature in Greece.
HELLENIC ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
"Greece, with its outstanding biodiversity and its disappointing conservation record, must become one of the highest conservation priorities in the Palaearctic Realm. Surprisingly, up to now, Greece has received little international attention as a region of ecological concern."
The Hellenic Ornithological Society, founded in 1982, focuses on the study and protection of wild birds and their habitats in Greece. It has successfully completed many education campaigns, scientific studies, and wardening of endangered species' breeding areas. It publishes educational materials and a bulletin. Address: P.O. Box 64052, GR 15701, Zographos, Athens, Greece. Tel. (01) 52 25 506
HELLENIC SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURE
The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, founded in 1951, is the oldest nature conservation organization in Greece.
Its main objective is preserving remaining natural areas, and it has lobbied extensively for the creation of adequate protected areas.
It publishes Nature, an informative quarterly magazine. Address: 24 Nikis St., 105 57 Athens, Greece. Tel. (01) 32 24 944
