Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Alexandrouli and Dadia Forest in Evros, northern Greece, on Monday after the recent devastating fires.
While some things had been done after the major fire in 2022, the prime minister pointed out, at which time Dadia had been identified as a forest of national and European importance that needed to be protected “the truth is that, unfortunately, we did not succeed in doing this as we had planned.”
“We must be honest with ourselves in order to improve,” he added, in a statement after meeting the Forest Management Body for a briefing on the assessed impact of the recent fire, based on high-resolution satellite images.
In a statement afterward, Mitsotakis thanked all those involved in the fight against the wildfires and said the satellite images allowed some room for optimism amid the gloom, as the extent of the damage was not as great as originally feared.
“There are several areas that have either not been burned at all or are minimally burned, which will help in their natural regeneration and therefore, obviously, in the protection of the fauna,” he said.
He referred to the experience with anti-flooding and erosion works in Evia, noting that the forest there had already begun to grow back.
He also pledged government support for the area’s residents and said preparations were underway so that works for the restoration of the Evros National Park could be carried out in record time.
He also stated that emphasis will be given to protecting the borders in Evros and reducing the flow of illegal migrants.
Mitsotakis additionally referred to the overall growth strategy for Evros, saying that Alexandroupolis is rapidly becoming a city with an exceptional geopolitical global footprint.
The prime minister’s personal advisor Giorgos Amyras also presented figures indicating that 5,000 hectares of forest in Evros were lost, 20,000 can be recovered and 18,000 were not burnt. [AMNA]
Source: Ekathimerini.com
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