Three Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, that is Sifnos, Serifos and Folegandros, are included in the short list of the 11 most endangered monuments and cultural heritage sites in Europe for 2024, the pan-European NGO Europa Nostra and the Institute of the European Investment Bank announced on Tuesday.
The published list is within the framework of the program “7 Most Endangered” – “7 most endangered monuments of Europe’s cultural heritage in 2024”. The final list of seven will be announced in April.
The relevant proposal that resulted in the selection of the Cycladic islands Sifnos, Serifos and Folegandros, as the most characteristic of the ongoing change, was submitted by the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture (ELLET), hoping to utilize the program to promote awareness about uncontrolled construction, as well as influencing government policies to improve urban planning in the islands.
“The Cyclades, famous for their unique charm and rich culture, are faced with a multitude of challenges posed by the surge in tourist development and uncontrolled construction. Despite the economic development that is achieved, a number of environmental, cultural and social issues are also created at the same time, such as the degradation of natural resources, the destruction of cultural heritage, water scarcity, waste management problems and socio-economic inequalities. The islands are at risk of losing their authentic character, as rapid tourist development threatens to overshadow their inherent beauty,” the text of the nomination states and notes:
“Especially the small island destinations of the Cyclades are under significant pressure from over-tourism, in terms of infrastructure burden and increasing demand for hospitality. Demand for buildings outside settlement boundaries is very high and the construction is unprecedented.”
Data from the Hellenic Statistics Authority reveal a steady increase in new building permits, from 916 in 2018 to 1,280 in 2022.
The constructed square meters, which increased from 291,722 sq.m. in 2018 in 419,232 sq.m. in 2022, underline the intensification of construction activity. In just four years, the new square meters built on the islands of the Cyclades have doubled, even tripled.
It is noted that the selection of those to be included in the “7 Most Endangered” list was made by an international Advisory Committee, with the main criteria being the high cultural importance of the monuments, the serious danger they face today, the degree of involvement of local communities and the commitment of the public and private entities for their rescue, as well as their potential to act as a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development.
And the result is – according to the announcement of the European organizations – that “the islands are at risk of losing their exceptional and authentic character, as the growing tourist construction threatens to overshadow their intrinsic beauty, while the smaller island destinations within of the Cyclades, which bear the brunt of over-tourism.” (via efsyn.gr)
