In the midst of the financial crisis, Greece takes an important step to secure the future of its valuable island ecosystems. A new presidential decree for the protection of 380 wetlands situated on 59 Greek islands was signed and issued in the Government Gazette.

This decree is the first piece of legislation explicitly dedicated to the conservation of this special group of valuable ecosystems, and constitutes the first implementing act of another recent milestone in Greek environmental policy, the Law on the Conservation of Biodiversity which was adopted in March 2011.

Today is a historic day for WWF, the conservation organization. WWF has worked tirelessly to document and highlight the ecological value and plight of these small wetlands. For the team of WWF Greece, which has worked tirelessly since 2004 to identify, map, monitor threats in the field, draft detailed proposals and lobby relevant authorities, this Presidential Decree is a first big victory for the conservation of these small Greek natural treasures.

“Although efforts to conserve these valuable yet vulnerable ecosystems do not end here, the signing of the Presidential Decree is certainly an important milestonefor which we can all feel proud and hopeful. ” notes WWF Greece CEO Demetres Karavellas “The most important challenge, now, is its implementation WWF Greece will persist in seeking to ensure that this important piece of legislation is translated into action on the ground. We will be there to see this through. ” Demetres Karavellas concludes.

An infographic demonstrating the timeline of WWF Greece’s project for the conservation of the island wetlands available here