Experts urge Greece to invest in marine parks

Greece could mitigate the effects of overfishing and environmentally damaging activities and reap significant revenue by investing in marine parks, according to a report by the international organization Pristine Seas, delivered last month to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

The reports argues that if Greece decided to strictly protect even 5% of its seas, with an initial investment of €62 million and an additional annual cost of €55 million, it could recoup the investment within four years from the development of diving tourism alone – without taking into account the immediate effects on the recovery of fish stocks and marine biodiversity. 

Overfishing has reduced fish in Greece’s seas by 50% since the 1990s, with the lack of diversity adversely impacting diving tourism. Moreover, only 0.1% of its territorial waters are adequately protected from overfishing and other environmentally damaging activities.