Greece has unveiled the boundaries of two ambitious marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says will be the largest in the Mediterranean and mark a major step towards the country’s environmental goals.
Designed to protect sea mammals and turtles in the Ionian, and seabirds and seals in the Aegean, the parks are part of Greece’s plan to protect 30% of its marine territory by 2030.
“They will be vast sanctuaries for life beneath the waves,” Mitsotakis said on Monday, noting that bottom trawling will be banned within the parks.
The environmental studies outlining the proposed boundaries were submitted for public consultation until September 22. The total size of the two parks is projected at 27,500 square kilometres, with Greece intending to expand them further.
Once consultation concludes, two presidential decrees will be drafted and submitted to the Council of State by the end of October. The parks will be officially established upon their publication.
However, the Aegean marine park has rekindled tensions with neighbouring Turkey, particularly due to longstanding disputes over maritime boundaries. Greece has stated the park lies entirely within its territorial waters.
Turkey, meanwhile, accused Athens of politicising environmental concerns and said such “unilateral actions” are inappropriate in semi-enclosed seas like the Aegean.
Ankara added that the Greek initiative will not affect the legal standing of existing disputes and announced plans to unveil its own marine protection projects in the coming days. Nonetheless, Turkey expressed readiness to work with Greece to address bilateral issues through dialogue.
The proposed Aegean park, covering 9,500 square kilometres, will initially focus on areas around the southern Cyclades – well away from the Turkish coastline.
Source: Marine Technology News
