Deception Mountains: What they are – The six regions of Greece that will join them

Six regions of Greece will join the “Fraudulent Mountains” initiative of the Ministry of Environment.

“Fraudulent Mountains” is defined as the Area Without Roads (PAD) with its perimeter zone of one kilometer (PAD + radius 1 km). In these areas, the opening of new roads and the creation of other artificial interventions that alter or alter the natural environment is prohibited. In addition, they are subject to a high protection regime.

Which areas will be included in the Deceptive Mountains?

● Lefka Ori – Area: 382.06 sq.km. | Altitude: 0-2.453 m.

● Saos – Area: 97.30 sq.km. | Altitude: 0-1.611 m.

● Smolikas – Area: 102.89 sq.km. | Altitude: 782-2.637 m.

● Tymfi – Area: 202.75 sq.km. | Altitude: 460-2.497 m.

● Taygetos – Area: 143.23 sq.km. | Altitude: 432-2.407 m.

Ζή Hatzi – Area: 45.61 sq.km. | Altitude: 598-2.038 m.

How were Roadless Areas institutionalized?

By Ministerial Decision, authorizing article 47 of law 4685/20120, per region:

Η It is prohibited to open roads for motor vehicles, to extend the existing ones regardless of category, as well as any kind of technical intervention, change or alteration of the natural environment.

● Legally existing projects and their maintenance are not affected.

● The marking, repair, maintenance and improvement of existing mountaineering and hiking trails is allowed, without the use of motorized means of access and provided that the operations will be implemented with natural materials.

Έργα Projects for the purposes of National Defense, as defined in accordance with the provisions of current legislation, are excluded from the terms and restrictions.

Έργα Excluded from the above prohibitions are projects and interventions that are implemented due to emergencies (earthquakes, floods, disasters, fires, etc.) if care is taken for the restoration of the environment and projects and interventions that are deemed necessary for reasons of protection and / or rehabilitation. natural and forest environment.

Are Fraudulent Mountains blocking investment?

“Fraudulent Mountains” are a brake on the overexploitation of the environment by human activities, but without putting obstacles in the way of investment, as they concern areas untouched over time.

Ecotourism can be developed in any area of ​​interest in terms of biodiversity and landscape aesthetics, contributing
to maintain or create incentives for the transition to green economic activity such as organic farming, promotion of traditional products, etc.

What are the benefits of Scam Mountains?

. Contribute to the conservation of natural biodiversity.

. Prevent the entry of foreign species.

. Provide migration routes and intermediate stops to fauna species.

. They capture carbon and reduce the effects of greenhouse gases.

. Maintain the connectivity and integrity of the ecosystem.

. They offer leisure, education and scientific knowledge to the citizens.

. They regulate and protect the services of the ecosystem: clean water supply, erosion control, healthy soil, air quality, climate regulation, crop pollination, high resistance to the parasite epidemic.

What is land fragmentation and what are the consequences?

Land fragmentation is the fragmentation of natural ecosystems into pieces by the increase of roads and artificial surfaces.

Fragmentation has direct consequences in:

. Loss, confluence and isolation of species habitats
. Reduction of populations and local extinctions of species
● Degradation of ecological processes

Greece’s share index is half that of Europe, but it is growing faster. Specifically in Greece:

• Greece was in the first place of increase of artificial surfaces in Europe (2015)
• Construction sites and roads consume more land in Greece than in Europe.
• The road network of Greece has a length of more than 367,000 km, while the probability of being more than one kilometer from the road is only 5.43%.

What is the relationship between roads and biodiversity loss?

Roads facilitate the movement of people and goods and are directly linked to enhancing economic development locally and nationally.

Despite the significant benefits of having a useful road network, roads are related to the top five causes of biodiversity loss worldwide, which are in descending order of severity:

● Land use change.
. The immediate exploitation of resources.
. Climate change.
● Pollution.
● Foreign species of fauna.

Roads are therefore considered to be one of the main causes of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation worldwide, especially when entering natural ecosystems and formerly undisturbed areas.

Species habitats are shrinking, populations are isolated, wildlife mortality from vehicle collisions on the road network is increasing.

At the same time, all the ecosystem services associated with the soil, such as degradation or the nitrogen cycle, are lost, as the soil is sealed and converted into artificial soil.

The effects on human health are also indirect with the increase of pollution and the facilitation of the spread of diseases.

Why are PADs a matter of global interest?

We live in a time of biodiversity crisis. The sixth mass extinction of species in Earth history, attributed to man-made causes, has begun, and at least 70% of the earth has been degraded, posing a serious threat to human well-being.

At the same time, we live in a time of culmination of the expansion of artificial surfaces and especially of roads.

The length of the new asphalt roads is expected to increase by 59% by 2050.

Top scientists consider the roads as the worst threat to the planet for the loss of biodiversity, and therefore the preservation of the PAD as the key policy to halt the loss of biodiversity.

This new trend of conservation of PDAs has now been embraced by global scientific bodies (SCB, IUCN, UNEP, Conservation International, Tebtebba) and the issue has taken on global dimensions at the United Nations Summit on the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11, India). and in Rio + 20, Brazil, 2012).

Is there an institution “Fraudulent Mountains” in the EU?

Greece becomes the first country in Europe to institute Deceptive Mountains.

The issue of natural land fragmentation was considered one of the biggest challenges in the EU. in the vote of the European Parliament on 08/06/2021, for the new Biodiversity Strategy 2030 entitled “Return of Nature to our lives” which took place in early June. Also, the obligation to join a strict protection regime of at least 10% of the territory of each country was voted.

The European Commission has put forward a proposal for legally binding EU restoration targets. in 2021. The restoration of EU ecosystems will help enhance biodiversity, mitigate and adapt to climate change and prevent and reduce the effects of natural disasters.

The main objective of the EU initiative is to restore degraded ecosystems, especially those with the greatest potential:

. Carbon capture and storage.
. Prevention and reduction of the effects of natural disasters.
. Soil health and pollination.
. Improving the knowledge and monitoring of ecosystems and their services.

With the institutionalization of the Deceased Mountains, we follow this restoration policy as a precaution.

Roads-free Areas are an action that first began in 2001 in the United States under the title “The Roadless Rule” and are currently being studied by the European Union to be integrated into the objectives of the Green Agreement.

What climate goals do the PADs harmonize with?

The PDs contribute to the achievement of 12 objectives of the National Strategy for Biodiversity as in:

Ρηση Preservation of national physical capital (objective 2.1).
. Demarcation of ecological corridors (objective 3.3).
. Enhance the synergy of key sectoral policies by conserving biodiversity and establishing incentives (targets 5.1-5.8).
. Conservation of landscape diversity (objective 6.2).
. Dealing with invasive invasive species (objective 8.2).

Also, based on the recent United Nations National Assessment Report on the Sustainable Development Goals, the 8 national priorities were set by the General Secretariat of the Government for Agenda 2030.

The delimitation of the extended PAPs and their introduction in the spatial planning of the country, is documented as a positive contribution to the achievement of three Sustainable Development Goals:

. Responsible consumption and production (goal 12).
. Climate action (objective 13).
Ζωή Living on land, in the context of the 6th national priority under the title: “Strengthening the protection and rational management of natural capital as a basis for social prosperity and the transition to a low carbon economy” (Objective 15).

Finally, the PACs are in line with the European Convention on Landscape, as ratified by Greece, according to which the landscape is “a key component of the European natural and cultural heritage”.

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