The protection and saving of forests at the center of the 2nd SPAF Forum

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Among others present on the first day of the Forum was the mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, who particularly stood in the forest of Sheikh Sou and requested that the practices of SPAH be spread throughout the country.

The Forum of the Association for the Protection and Development of Hymettos (SPAH) is now developing into an institution. This year it is being held for the second time and after last year’s great success, it is now a two-day event (23-24/1) and its theme is “The Decalogue of Saving our Forests – The Next Day”.

It is a two-day dialogue and proposals through ten main thematic sections, with the participation of ministers and deputy ministers, general secretaries, mayors from all over Greece, representatives of institutional bodies, university professors, representatives of voluntary groups, etc., with the aim of substantial and constructive exchange of views of all cooperating agencies and municipalities, so that they co-shape the environmental agenda of the next day.

The welcome and the start of the work at the Cultural and Conference Center “Mikis Theodorakis” of Argyroupoli was announced by the president of SPAW and mayor of Hellinikon-Argyroupoli Yiannis Constantatos. “The small miracle that SPAW has achieved is the result of its eleven member municipalities, which surround our Ymittos and listens to a single word: love for Ymittos, for the forest and the environment. This environment, which 1.5 million Athenians, 10% of the population of our country, live and breathe around Hymettos”, he said initially and then emphasized among other things:

“The reality is that the Local Government proves in practice that with synergies and a good mood, it can succeed. We are now coming for the second time, after the first Forum, which was about the ‘Decade of Saving Forests’, which was submitted last year and opened a great debate. It brought us closer, it brought us to a ferment, some proposals are already being run by the ministries, some others are pending, so I would say that we opened a great dialogue and all these were born through the 1st Forum. This brought the 2nd, the current one, which comes as a continuation precisely because we want to show that self-government does not stop, but is constantly moving forward.

The point for us is that tomorrow, at ten tables, excellent speakers, more than a hundred, will highlight, propose, testify experiences and most importantly share with us know-how and opinions, which can contribute to all that we are fighting for each one from his materizi”.

Referring to the local government, he said: “The question for us is how we proved that when the state trusts us and gives us tools, we know how to produce results.” And he added right after: “It is a self-evident obligation that the self-government is based on its demands, because it expresses the local community. And as Mr. Stylianidis rightly said at last year’s forum, no one can achieve better results than the local communities. “Well, if you don’t give us the tools to build the corresponding Crisis Management Centers, so that everyone has the armor on their mountain, we won’t achieve results.”

The SPAH president also referred to the scientific training of the Association’s executives, saying: “SPAH has the scientific team, the training and the organization, so that it can immediately submit the studies that are needed, resulting in 6 million euros that came and were implemented to Hymettos. 100 km of forest roads, which had been closed for decades, more than 2,000 hectares of forest were deforested, cleared and pruned and a huge amount of fuel, which with the snowfall blocked roads and paths, was removed with great success. Despite all this, we do not stop claiming and shouting that self-government should and can have a role”.

Mr. Konstantatos also made special reference to the assistance that SPAW can provide in other regions of the country. He specifically said: “It is very moving that SPAW is currently embracing other municipalities and other areas. We started from Ancient Olympia, signed a memorandum of cooperation with its municipality and committed that SPAW will carry out the studies for its own needs and armor. And we will do the same for Kalavryta, Arta, Gortynia, SPAW will do the same for all the municipalities that request and want cooperation, in order to pass on the know-how to them”. And immediately after he added: “Finally give Civil Protection to the municipalities, with the tools, the weapons we need and believe me, the results will be spectacular.”

In closing, the president of SPAW said: “Three things to keep from this forum. First, SPAW has started a great educational activity. Whatever we do, if we don’t sensitize children to love the forest, to go inside and protect it, we have failed. That is why SPAW is starting a wide network of environmental education. Second, smart-Ymittos is in place and shielding through this program. We can be proud to have an integrated network and modern technologies in our services. The third, if there is no human factor inside the mountain, we cannot do anything. That’s why SPAW doesn’t exist and doesn’t exist, Hymettos and the municipalities as well as the State, if the volunteers are not there as vigilant guards to lay down their souls to protect the mountain. They must be properly equipped for their protection and their health.”

For his part, the president of KEDE and mayor of Trikkaia, Dimitris Papastergiou, referred to the important work of SPAW and emphasized, among other things: “A serious and organized Self-Government is the Self-Government of the next day. The Local Government is a pillar especially for Civil Protection. It is enough to work with a system and everyone knows what to do. To keep our forests alive, we must love them and live them. And the invitation that comes now for the paths, does just that. He puts us back into the woods. To bring humans closer to nature, because humans will save nature. SPAW shows that we can trust the Local Government”.

Among others present on the first day of the Forum was the mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, who particularly stood in the forest of Sheikh Sou and requested that the practices of SPAH be spread throughout the country.

Immediately after, the mayors-members of the SPAH referred to the thematic sections of the Forum, as on the 2nd day (24/1) they themselves will preside over each one separately. Specifically, the 10 sections are:

1. “Design and Utilization of Financial Support Tools 2023-2030” (chaired by the mayor of Papagou-Cholargou Ilias Apostolopoulos).

2. “The Power of the Cooperation of Agencies in the Prevention of Forest Fires” (chaired by the mayor of Paiana Isidoros Madis).

3. “Political Protection of Municipalities in the New Era” (chaired by the mayor of Kropias, Dimitris Kiousis).

4. “Promotion of Ymittos as a Global Reference Point” (chaired by the mayor of Dafni-Ymittos Anastasios Biniskos).

5. “Smart Hymettos. The Driving Force of Technology in Environmental Protection” (chaired by the mayor of Kaisarianis, Christos Voskopoulos).

6. “The Importance of Beekeeping and the Application of Fire Protection Measures” (chaired by the mayor of Agia Paraskevi Vassilis Zorbas).

7. “Zero Waste Hymettos. The Vision for the First Zero Waste Mountain” (chaired by the mayor of Ilioupoli, Giorgos Hatzidakis).

8. “Environmental Education in Schools. Young People Take the Lead in Environmental Protection” (chaired by the mayor of Byron Grigoris Katopodis).

9. “The Contemporary Challenges of Climate Change. The Great Bet of the Conservation and Restoration of Forests” (chaired by the mayor of Vari-Voulas-Vouliagmeni Grigoris Konstandellos).

10. “Volunteering. Cooperation and Support of the ‘Vigilant Guards’ of Ymittos” (chaired by the mayor of Zografou Vassilis Thodas).

At the end of the 1st day of the Forum of SPAH, the volunteer groups of the 11 municipalities that make it up were awarded.

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