current events & forestry firegeezer on 28 Sep 2007 08:28 am
Destruction In Greece Greater Than First Thought
THE RECENT WILDFIRES IN GREECE, MOST NOTABLY in the Peloponnese, have left a devastation that will take as many as 20 years to recover from.
After studying satellite images and visiting the stricken areas, various government and environmental groups have issued preliminary reports on the damage.
In six weeks the flames consumed roughly one-tenth of the country’s forests (and 2% of the entire surface area), with large swaths of land inside EU-protected areas also being burned. Among the designated areas was Mount Taygetos, one of Greece’s most spectacular nature reserves, which had just begun to recover from devastating blazes in 1998.
67 people died in the fires and more than 6,000 have been made homeless.
A new problem springing up is the attempts of illicit land speculating in the scorched areas along the coast line. The UK Guardian reports:
Greeks have been incensed by evidence that investors, scenting profit, are moving in to the Peloponnese, one of the last parts of Greece to have escaped mass tourism.
Ecologists point to a deal that paves the way for construction on up to 10 miles of virgin coastline around the southern seaside town of Zacharo. The deal, signed by the former deputy finance minister Petros Doukas and the mayor of Zacharo, Pantazis Chronopoulos, appears to have gone through, despite the region being on a list of protected sites drawn up by the EU.
Another major concern is to strong possibility of land erosion when the rainy season begins. Also, environment experts fear the singed ground will not be able to absorb rain, raising concerns of flash floods. Hundreds of lumberjacks are working in the affected areas setting up wooden blocks to prevent flooding.
