Really, will forests be better protected without forest maps?;

Recently, following the publication of the forest maps, significant protests have erupted in many areas, with the largest ones taking place in Crete, though not exclusively there. The map display reminded many people of the display of results parliamentary elections from other eras. The Crete It turned green again. Almost all of Greece did. For better or worse, this is due to the excessive classification of land as forest and grassland.

Certainly, what the average citizen considers a forest or forested area has nothing to do with the content of the forest maps. We may consider the Cyclades to be arid islands, yet even they have become greener. This is largely due to the strict regulations governing grassland areas, even though there is no corresponding provision in the Constitution.

The above highlights the need to amend the current legislation, and certainly the relevant articles of the Constitution. Unfortunately, during its most recent revision, the political system lacked the courage to act and failed to reach a consensus on what should be self-evident. However, even so, there is still much that can be done to rectify the situation.

Certainly, the recent statements by Deputy Minister Amyrás do not help in this regard.

The reports say, «A citizen … can file an objection, and it’s very easy. It’s like Google Maps—you just find the field on the map, tap it with your finger, and add a note saying it’s not forest land.» clearly shows that he is uninformed, while the statement «No one needs to hire a surveyor or an engineer—nothing like that is necessary» he disparages the experts and gives the public the wrong impression.

It is best not to play games with citizens' property

If it were such an easy process, at no cost, why has there been such a commotion? Why have property transfers stalled in areas where forest maps have been posted? The answer lies in the problems that highlight the need for experts to be involved at every stage of the project.

Regarding the statement, «Forest maps do not address property issues. These maps will show whether your property—or part of it—falls under forest legislation. No one’s property is at risk because of these maps,» is misleading, to say the least. In regions such as Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, Northern Greece, the Peloponnese (excluding Mani), and generally in areas that were conquered by force, the Greek state is the successor to the Ottoman state, where forests were public property and the presumption of public ownership prevails. For this reason, when the forest map is ratified in these regions, the areas designated as forest land will be registered in the Land Registry with the Greek State as the owner, and the previous owners will lose their property rights. A clear approach must be established for the remaining areas.

However, in addition to the misleading statements mentioned above, the completion of the forest maps is not helped by the excessive haste of certain researchers and the relevant forestry agencies, to classify as forest or grassland any area—even if only slightly—that is disputed, thereby forcing citizens to foot the bill and take the heat. That is, of course, if they realize this, and do not remain under the impression that their field was never forest land to begin with.

Unfortunately, the Council of State’s excessive rigidity on this issue does not help either; it rejects nearly every proposed solution, without understanding the problems that arise and the inequality among citizens that is created. Unfortunately, it has not shown the same strictness on other issues.

For this reason, his position is not expected to change in the hearing of the appeal against the law, in which he called on the forestry services to revise the forest maps by adding the administrative acts that have been issued and that reclassify forest areas. This decision will once again delay the completion of the forest maps.

Is it true that forests will be better protected without forest maps? Is the system of issuing individual designation orders by forestry agencies—which fosters corruption and delays—preferable?;

The only way forward is the immediate completion of the forest maps, along with significant changes to the current legal framework, so that provisions can be made for areas cleared before 1975 and for forested farmland, to clarify the validity of the presumption of public ownership, to amend the strict framework governing grassland areas, and to ensure the strict protection of protected areas.

In essence, the goal is to establish a reliable framework for protecting the environment and public and private property, rather than to perpetuate a framework that protects corruption and arbitrariness.

By Michalis Kalogiannakis