Greece plans 2 marine protected areas as part of an $830 million environmental protection program

By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece aims to create two large marine parks as part of an $830 million program to protect biodiversity and marine ecosystems, with the plans to be formally announced at an international oceans conference starting in Athens Tuesday. But the plan has irked Greece’s neighbor and regional rival, Turkey, while environmental organizations say the initiative doesn’t go far enough and note the country also allows environmentally harmful practices such as energy exploration in sensitive marine environments. With thousands of islands and islets and one of the longest coastlines in the Mediterranean, Greece has said it will create one new marine park in the Ionian Sea and one in the Aegean Sea, bringing the total area of marine protected areas to over 30% of the country’s waters.