On the occasion of International Day of Forests celebrated annually on March 21, the Ministry of Environment and Energy organized an event today at the Goulandris Natural History Museum. The goal was to highlight the timeless contribution of the Forest Service, present its modern role in forest protection and management, and outline strategic directions for the future. The event emphasized strengthening the Forest Service in terms of human resources, means and operational capacity, presented the formation of a comprehensive framework for forest protection, restoration, management and development, and underscored the importance of cooperation between the Forest Service, Fire Department, Civil Protection and Local Government.
Message from Kyriakos Mitsotakis for International Day of Forests
“On the occasion of International Day of Forests, we stand with respect before one of the most important natural capitals of our homeland. Our forests are not just a source of life and biodiversity. They are a shield of protection against the climate crisis and a foundation for sustainable development for local communities,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated among other things in his message, which was read at the event, emphasizing that in recent years “we proceeded with a comprehensive restart of forest policy.” The Prime Minister highlighted that for the first time in decades, mass hirings are proceeding, operational equipment is being upgraded with hundreds of new vehicles and modern surveillance means, while simultaneously implementing “the largest forest fire prevention program ever undertaken in the country, Antinero.”
“Overall, the resources mobilized from the Recovery Fund, NSRF, the Green Fund, and other tools exponentially exceed any previous funding before 2019,” the Prime Minister noted in his message and concluded by saying: “For us, forest protection is not fragmented policy. It is a comprehensive national strategy, with a plan, resources and measurable results.”
Papastavrou on International Day of Forests
For his part, Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou noted that “in the geopolitical environment of uncertainty in which we live, which impacts every citizen’s daily life, the strength of every state rests on three interconnected pillars. Economic and political stability, deterrent power and energy resilience,” emphasizing that to these is added: “Environmental protection and safeguarding our forests, the crown of our policies. For us, environmental protection constitutes the fourth decisive pillar of national strength.”
“Since 2021 we launched the National Reforestation Plan and the Forest Protection Plan, also known as ‘Antinero,’ with a budget exceeding 680 million since 2022.” The Minister also referred to anti-erosion and flood protection works as well as the institution of restoration and reforestation contractors: “Thus the Forest Service, which always remains the guardian, cooperated with local government, so they could, together with the private sector, protect areas and prevent flood and erosion phenomena.”
“For the first time in our history, after more than 200 years, we will have mapped all forests in our homeland, with 90% of the area already having partial ratification,” Mr. Papastavrou noted. He also referred to the “excellent cooperation that exists between the Forest Service and Civil Protection and Fire Department personnel. This is our strength. Cooperation.”
Mr. Papastavrou concluded by saying: “Forests are our natural capital. They are our shield against the climate crisis and our legacy for future generations. We must protect them like the apple of our eye.”
“Even if one acre of forest is lost, it is a loss that is very difficult to restore, and we work toward this direction. However, that Greece would reach a point of having smaller affected area than countries such as the United Kingdom – if someone had said this 10-20 years ago, it would have been considered rather unrealistic, if not something even more far-fetched,” said General Secretary of Forests Stathis Stathopoulos, adding: “It didn’t happen magically, it happened through coordination, cooperation and daily work in the field, both preventively and, unfortunately when needed, suppression-wise.”
Mr. Stathopoulos also referred to the Green Fund: “At this moment a program which in late 2019 barely absorbed 4 million euros, purely for operational expenses, closed the previous year with an amount over 120 million, finally acquiring real substance to finance forest projects.”
The “new era,” which began with the 2022 Presidential Decree establishing the General Secretariat of Forests, was described in the speech by General Director of Forests Evangelos Gountoufas. Mr. Gountoufas referred to strengthening extroversion and developing collaborations with other ministries, and extensively analyzed the projects promoted by the general secretariat: “All this gives us a total of credits over 882 million from all funding sources and additionally there are studies worth 32.4 million euros.”
Summarizing, he said all these initiatives are summarized as follows: “First, trust from political leadership for planning, proposing and implementing prevention, restoration, conservation and development policies for forest subsystems. Synergy of all involved state bodies, local government, scientific community and society. Interventions with credible, rapid and measurable results for the benefit of forests, environment, economy and society.”
