Legal Approval of National Action Plans by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy

An important LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project milestone has been achieved with the recent approval of 8 National species and habitats Action Plans for the protection of threatened species and habitat types of Greece.

These Action Plans are about the Caretta caretta sea turtle, the Parnassius apollo butterfly, the flora species Silene holzmannii, the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica), the Pelophylax cerigensis Karpathos frog, the native trout species of Greece, the bird species bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), as well as the priority habitat 2250* Coastal dunes with Juniperus spp.

The National Action Plans studies, as well as the implementation programmeme of resource based selected measures and actions, are attached to the respective Ministerial Decisions signed by the Deputy Minister of Environment, Giorgos Amyras.

With the legal adoption of Action Plans by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy and their forthcoming implementation in the framework of LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project, Greece is making a significant effort to implement national and EU environmental legislation, to coordinately protect biodiversity and to meet the objectives of the Biodiversity Strategy.

The sea turtle (Caretta Caretta) National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3678/B/10.02.2021).

The lepidoptera species Parnassius apollo National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3646/B/06.08.2021).

The flora species Silene holzmannii National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3645/B/06.08.2021).

The Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3664/B/09.08.2021).

The endemic Karpathos frog Pelophylax cerigensis National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3644/B/06.08.2021).

The bird species bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3663/B/09.08.2021).

The native trout species of Greece National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3722/B/12.08.2021).

The priority habitat 2250* Coastal dunes with Juniperus spp. National Action Plan is available from the National Printing Office (Official Government Gazette No 3723/B/12.08.2021).

The full text of the studies is also available on the LIFE-IP 4 NATURA deliverables webpage (Action A.1).

The LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project is the first integrated and coordinated initiative for implementation of the Greek Priority Action Framework (PAF) for the Natura 2000 network at national, regional and local level.

By completing LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project’s Action A.1 “Development and legal approval of action plans for species and types of habitats of EU interest”, an important PAF 2014-2020 measure has been implemented.

What are species and habitats Action Plans?

Action Plan development is based on scientific knowledge on biology, ecology, protection and conservation status assessment, assessment of pressures and threats, and stakeholder mapping and analysis. The latter takes into account the role of stakeholders in Action Plan implementation. This data and information lead to setting the Action Plan’s aim and specific objectives.

The Habitat Directive’s general objective to improve conservation status of species and natural habitat types, in combination with the species and habitats Action Plans’ specific objectives result in an integrated intervention framework of institutional and management measures and actions.

The timeframe of both objectives and expected results of species and habitat type improvement is set according to the Action Plan timeframe i.e. a six-year period.

The Action Plan development process follows successive steps, which include workshops and consultations with participation of competent authorities and scientists. Furthermore, Nature 2000 Committee provides feedback which is then incorporated in the Ministerial decision and Action Plan final draft.

Historical and legal framework

In 2008, the European Commission raised for the first time the issue of Action Plan development for selected species listed in the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC).

Action plans are intended to be used as a policy tool for identifying and prioritizing measures to restore the populations of these species across their range within the EU.

The plans are intended to assist Member States in the conservation of these species but they are not legally binding documents nor do they engage the Member States beyond their existing legal commitments under the Habitats Directive.

In Greek legislation, species and habitats Action Plans are foreseen in Law 3937/2011 on the Conservation of Biodiversity. In particular, according to article 10(2) of the law, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, in cooperation with co-competent Ministries and other competent institutions, develops and implements Action Plans giving priority to:

• species whose protection and management is required by international conventions ratified by Greece and by European Union’s legislation,
• species included in the “threatened” categories of national and international red lists of threatened species
• endemic species of Greece,
• species with particularly fragmented distribution
• species important for local societies (food, raw materials, traditional medicines) even if they are not included in the threatened categories, and
• indigenous breeds of farm animals and local varieties of plant species.

In 2018, the process of defining and legally adopting species and habitat types action plan specifications began, in accordance with the provisions of article 20(2) of Law 3937/2011, as amended by article 47(5) of Law 4685/2020.

The Ministerial Decision published in November 2020 provides action plan specifications, in addition with complete and coherent provisions for technical and procedural action plan characteristics.

Along with legally approving action plan specifications, species and habitat types in need of increased protection, management or restoration are defined based on specific criteria. The process for the development of 12 Action Plans has begun.

The sea turtle (Caretta Caretta) National Action Plan has been developed in the framework of  LIFE EUROTURTLES project (Ref. LIFE15 NAT/HR/000997).