The imposing mountain range of Dikti and the unique landscape of the Lassithi Plateau, one of the most important areas of Crete for the conservation of biodiversity, were visited by the LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project partners for their 9th Steering Committee Meeting (27-28 June 2022). This is one of the four sites in the country where the LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project “Integrated actions for the conservation and management of Natura 2000 network sites, species, habitats and ecosystems in Greece” is going to implement pilot management plans. This action in Crete is coordinated by the Region of Crete, a LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project partner, which successfully organised this two-day meeting.
On the first day, representatives of the twelve project partners participated in a working visit and, under the effective guidance of the Region of Crete’s project team, visited the wider area and selected points of interest, discussing the importance and needs of the area, as well as the challenges of implementing management measures.
The following day the committee meeting took place, with the participation of representatives of the twelve project partners (Ministry of the Environment and Energy, University of Patras, Democritus University of Thrace, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, WWF Greece, Hellenic Ornithological Society, Region of Crete, Region of Attica, Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace, Decentralized Administration of Epirus – Western Macedonia, Green Fund and the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency). During the meeting, the progress of the project implementation during the last six months was presented and management and planning issues were discussed.