Black-winged stilt and many other water birds are declining due to wetland destruction.
CRITICAL STEPS THAT MUST BE TAKEN TO SAVE WILD GREECE
The fragile environment of Greece is in desperate need of care. Both a revival of the ancient Greek reverence for nature and the initiation of sustainable conservation management practices are vital for the ecology and the economy of Greece to survive.
1. URGE GOVERNMENT ACTION
a) Educate government and local authorities - the decision makers - about the need to conserve wild nature and to pursue alternative paths of economic development on a rationally planned local level.
b) Increase public and international pressure on the Greek government and EC departments to make environmental protection their over-riding objective.
c) Urge the creation of an appropriate Greek government agency for nature conservation, proper land-use planning, and promotion of sustainable agrarian communities.
2. CONSERVATION NOW!
a) Enlarge protected-area systems to include all known oustanding natural areas.
b) Enforce environmental regulations and laws within protected areas and regarding rare species.
c) Restore degraded areas that are vital to the survival of endangered ecosystems and species. This includes restoration of important wetlands and recovery of important wilderness areas through native species reforestation, limiting livestock overgrazing, road closures, restoration of natural fire cycles, and reintroduction of endangered or extirpated species.
3. MORE RESEARCH
a) Commission emergency research and studying and monitoring of endangered species, threatened ecosystems, and environmentally sensitive areas.
b) Conduct systematic ecological inventories of lesser known regions of the country. Identify and map all important ecological sites in order to designate priorities for conservation management.
c) Encourage cooperation and efficient coordination between government departments, environmental groups, and educational institutions.
4. INCREASED EDUCATION
a) Initiate massive public education campaigns about wild natural areas and the need for their conservation.
b) Establish environmental education programmes in schools. Encourage participation of youth in volunteer work camps, non-governmental organizations and local conservation projects including treeplanting of native species.
The wild Aoos ravine in north Pindos is in peril.
5. FUNDING FOR CONSERVATION
a) Provide economic aid, which is vital to the success of the wildlife and rural conservation initiatives and schemes of both the Greek government and Greek non-governmental organizations.
b) Increase support for non-governmental environmental organizations. These groups play a vital role in identifying and objecting to environmentally-damaging development projects, promoting conservation through lobbying government, and implementing much-needed environmental education campaigns.
c) Non-Greeks can help too. If you are one of the millions of tourists visiting Greece every year, please respect Greece's natural heritage, report any environmental crimes you see to local conservationist authorities, and financially support local conservation groups in Greece.
