Reforestation of 500,000 acres with 310 million from the Recovery Fund

The Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostis Hatzidakis, presented the National Plan of Reforestation to the Council of Ministers yesterday.

The National Reforestation Plan, according to the relevant announcement of the Ministry of Environment, is the largest reforestation programme ever undertaken in the country:

• He has 10-year term (by 2030).
• It provides for the afforestation and reforestation of a total area of 500.000 acres that have been burnt, deforested or degraded.
• It will enrich the country with 30 million certified trees.
• It will be financed by EUR 310 million from Recovery Fund.

The National Reforestation Plan seeks to address a major environmental deficit in Greece. In particular:

1. It upgrades the institution of reforestation as a tool for the ecological upgrading of forest areas and forests (the forestry services stopped reforestation since 1990).
2. It attempts, by mitigating the consequences of the climate crisis, to preserve biodiversity and improve living conditions in urban and peri-urban areas.
3. It links measures, actions and forestation/reforestation projects, which have been developed in the past - and often lack monitoring - to a single framework for the sustainable management of Greece's forest ecosystems.

The National Reforestation Plan is implemented in 5 phases:

1. In first stage, the Department of Forestry & Natural Environment of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has already prepared a study on the identification and prioritization of the areas to be reforested at national level, based on scientific criteria. Priority is given to areas where natural reforestation is not sufficient. Priority will also be given to peri-urban forests (fire in Mati and Kinetta etc.).
2. The second stage is to set up a working group to coordinate and monitor the project in 2020.The aim of the group will be to mobilise volunteers (e.g. NGOs, students, etc.) at the appropriate time and to mobilise local authorities.
3. The third stage concerns the organisation, planning and preparation of the reforestation project, with the preparation of specific reforestation studies for the selected areas.
4. The fourth stage concerns the implementation of reforestation and will be developed until 2026. The start of the effort will begin with the 2021 planting season.
5. The fifth stage completes the operational planning up to 2030 and includes the establishment of a mechanism for the protection, conservation and monitoring of established reforestation.

It is also noted that a forest protection programme is already funded by the NSRF, with a budget of around €100 million(the relevant actions are contracted immediately). This programme had zero absorption and zero contracting until 2019.

Special provision will be made for the mountainous areas of Attica and Thessaloniki. Actions have already been announced for Hymettus which will be combined with the new Presidential Decree for the protection of Hymettus. Similar actions have recently been announced for Penteli, while similar initiatives are planned for Parnitha and Poikilo Oros in Western Athens. For the Sheikh Su forest, the ministry is funding actions to address the impact of the presence of the phloem-eating insect that has destroyed a significant part of the forest.

Together with the funding from the NSRF of the new period, the total budget for the National Reforestation Plan will reach about 700 million euros by 2030.

The Deputy Minister of the Environment, Nikos Tagaras, the Secretary General of the Natural Environment and Water, Konstantinos Aravosis, the General Directorate of Forests of the Ministry worked for this programme, while the coordination of the whole effort is done by the Ministry's coordinator for forest policy, Maria Kozyraki.

Kostis Hatzidakis on the National Reforestation Plan stated:  «With the National Reforestation Plan we are implementing the largest reforestation programme ever in the country.  In Greece, almost 1% of our forests are burned every year. And while our forest wealth is being destroyed, we are behind even Turkey in reforestation! For example, we received from SYRIZA a European forest protection programme of 245 million euros with zero absorption and zero contracting!

We are trying to put an end to this sad phenomenon. With a 10-year reforestation programme of 500,000 hectares, with 30 million trees to be produced in Greece. And we have secured 310 million from the Recovery Fund for this project.

I believe that citizens will embrace this effort as the forest is the source of life for all of us and we must protect it with actions».