Tuesday 5 February 2008

‘An excursion to the GR wetlands’

A very well known journalist (also known from ERT 3 - national TV channel) wrote an article in yesterdays Sunday edition of Makedonia newspaper (03/02/2008) under the title ‘An excursion to the wetland’. The article includes statements from the official press announcement of a member of the Euro parliament.

As a reply & in addition to the previous post on Worlds Wetland Day…

‘An excursion to the GR wetlands’
Greece signed the Ramsar Convention on 21/12/1975 including ten (10) sites with total area 163.501 hectares.

The sites are:
Evros Delta (code: 3GR001 – area: 9,267 ha)
Lake Vistonis, Porto Lagos, Lake Ismaris & adjoining lagoons (code: 3GR002 - 24,396 ha)
Nestos delta & adjoining lagoons (code: 3GR004 – area: 21,930 ha)
Lakes Volvi & Koronia (code: 3GR005 – area: 16,388 ha)
Artificial Lake Kerkini (code: 3GR006 – area: 10,996 ha
Axios, Loudias, Aliakmon Delta (code: 3GR007 – area: 11,808 ha)
Lake Mikri Prespa (code: 3GR008 – area: 5,078 ha)
Amvrakikos gulf (code: 3GR009 – area: 23,649 ha)
Messolonghi lagoons (code: 3GR010 – area: 33,687 ha)
Kotychi lagoons (code: 3GR011 – area: 6,302 ha)

In 1990 ten (10) out of ten (10) (!) wetlands joined the Montreux Record (‘a record of Ramsar sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur’). In 1999 three (3) wetlands were removed from the Record. Till 2008 the situation is as follows:

Evros delta / Montreux Record since 07/04/90, removed 18/05/99
Artificial Lake Kerkini / Montreux Record since 07/04/90, removed 18/05/99
Lake Mikri Prespa / Montreux Record since 07/04/90, removed 18/05/99
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Lake Vistonis, Porto Lagos, Lake Ismaris & adjoining lagoons / Montreux Record since 04/07/90
Nestos delta & adjoining lagoons / Montreux Record since 04/07/90
Lakes Volvi & Koronia / Montreux Record since 04/07/90
Axios, Loudias, Aliakmon delta / Montreux Record since 04/07/90
Amvrakikos gulf / Montreux Record since 04/07/90
Messolonghi lagoons / Montreux Record since 04/07/90
Kotychi lagoons / Montreux Record since 04/07/90

The Birds Directive (79/403/EEC) is a Directive ‘on the conservation of wild birds‘ for member states of the E.U. To begin with, the Ramsar convention is a convention with a worldwide importance and these two shouldn’t be mixed.

In conclusion:
- We never actually did anything to protect our wetlands from 1975 till now, over thirty years time….
- Even after so many years, articles in the newspapers luck on basic knowledge (as the one stated above) regarding the Ramsar List and the Worlds Wetland Day.

Special thanks to my friend Eleni Tzortaki for the good and fast work regarding the picture posted herein

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