Energy and Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas announced a generalized plan on how the Greek conservative government will restore the natural environment in areas that were destroyed by the fires since the beginning of August.
Skrekas said the Environment Ministry is drafting plans focused on allowing forests to regrow or replanting where necessary, banning grazing and hunting during their natural regrowth, preventing erosion, shoring up areas ahead of floods in the winter, and educating the public about forest systems and their protection.
The destroyed areas would be mapped through the EU satellite system.
The forest services would all be transferred to the ministry’s jurisdiction, from local governments.
Works to stabilize the ground against erosion will start right away, as will anti-flooding works before the rainy season, the minister said.
He outlined how the ministry’s general forestry division will review proposals by private entities, associations, and nonprofits on reforestation that they will then assume themselves.
In the end, the minister stressed that the Independent Power Transmission Operator and the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator are working to restore power to all areas affected by the fires.
PS I want to see all these plans not only implemented not hastily but after the forest and the environment have recovered from the disaster as well as be materialized and most important maintained and write the word PREVENTION in capital letters. Because, every time after a disaster we hear of highly ambitious and challenging restoration plans that go under in bureaucracy and petty interests …. until the next disaster. * I was young and grew old in this country*
I am afraid that the future plans of the government will be quashed by the interests of real estate entrepreneurs and greedy land grabbing fatsos who would like to (develop) the available land for their concrete enterprises.
I have no doubt that the arsonists are in their pocket. Lets face it, once all this green stuff is out of the way there is no more to burn down…job done.
When certain folks measure everything by money there is no hope of recovery as will be seen at the next COP meeting…waste of time, all too late any anyway no one cares…just bring in the tourists more the merrier, use uo all the water and resources….but it’s about profit……..
Restore the natural environment? How many decades could that take? Forbid the construction of any building on that land that has been burnt over, except for the reconstruction of the houses, stores, farms and hotels that were already there. Stop realizing the developers’ dreams as an award for their arson.
Good idea. Too bad they are only talking about this for the last two decades or so. Nothing has been put into legislation that is why the fires and the arson continues. And only recently they have started talking about giving higher sentences to arsonists.
Why would they legislate anything when they are complicit in this as well. Who do you think is going to give the permits to these companies to go build there now that the “obstacles” have burned?
He didn’t promise not to repurpose the land for wind farms but he did take it into government control and away from the locals
wind farms is exactly is what is required if we are going to stop these fires in the future! And solar farms. Greecce should be a power exporter to europe!!!! No point having places that are ravaged by fires every year. It is urgent!
Thassos had horrendous fires in 2016 and still no reforestation, is it and other similar affected areas going to be included now?
Let’s get Mayor Bakoyannis on it. Who needs trees; just install thousands of metal ionizers!
Crap. I probably just gave those idiots an idea…