The plans for two new Marine National Parks in the Southern Cyclades and the Ionian Sea, announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, have been posted for public consultation, starting on Monday and up until September 22, in accordance with national and EU legislation. This process allows interested citizens and organisations to submit their comments and suggestions.

As the Environment and Energy Ministry announced, these will be taken into account in the final planning of the Marine National Park of the Ionian Sea and the Marine National Park of the South Aegean 1 - Southern Cyclades.

According to ministry, Marine National Parks are networks of interconnected protected areas. Their establishment offers significant additional advantages compared to the previously existing individual protected sites within the Natura 2000 network, mainly due to their holistic ecological, administrative, and socio-economic approach. Their purpose is to preserve unique biodiversity, protect and restore habitats, and promote awareness about the marine environment.

Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou stated: "The two new marine national parks aim to effectively protect our seas and safeguard the biodiversity of our country. Their combined area in the Ionian Sea and the Southern Cyclades exceeds the initial commitments made by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, approaching 27,500 square kilometres. With their establishment, we achieve both the protection of over 35% of our country’s territorial waters and the fulfillment of our country’s European target well before 2030.

"In this way, we more effectively protect the ecosystems in our two seas - the unique natural wealth of our homeland, which belongs to all of us. This is just the first phase: our government will continue to establish new Marine Parks in other areas of the Aegean, ensuring environmental coherence, as the sea and the species it hosts are an integral part of our national identity. We owe it to protect and pass it on to our children and future generations exactly as we found it: full of life."

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