- The government promotes traditional water management techniques on the Greek islands.
- The event at the Eugenides Foundation focused on stone terraces in island streams.
- Stefanos Gkikas says old methods can help fight drought and floods.
- Techniques already tested in Kythera, Paros, Ios, and Sifnos.
- The plan may enter the national strategy for the island policy.
When modern infrastructure proves expensive, slow, or simply ineffective, the government has once again discovered that the old islanders may have known what they were doing all along.
At an event held by the Eugenides Foundation, Deputy Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Stefanos Gkikas announced that traditional water management techniques used for centuries in the Greek islands are now being reconsidered as a realistic solution to drought, flooding, and the growing pressure from climate change.
The conference, titled “Stone terraces in temporary island streams: From tradition to institutional support for climate resilience,” was organised by the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy together with the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA), and focused on the practical benefits of restoring older methods that help retain water in the soil, recharge aquifers, and reduce the risk of both floods and long dry periods.
Participants stressed that island communities historically relied on simple yet effective techniques adapted to local conditions, including the construction of stone terraces in seasonal streams, a practice with roots in antiquity.
Gkikas Says Solutions Do Not Always Need to Be Expensive
Speaking at the event’s opening, Gkikas argued that modern environmental problems do not always require complex or costly projects.
“The conference is particularly important because it effectively highlights that addressing contemporary environmental and climate challenges does not always require complex and costly solutions. On the contrary, the answer is often provided by nature itself, the experience of local communities, the knowledge acquired, and the practices developed over time, with respect for the natural environment and the real needs of the island region.”
In other words, after decades of studies, projects, and expensive plans, nature and common sense were already providing workable answers.
Gkikas also stressed that protecting water resources is not only an environmental issue but a matter of survival for island communities.
“Protecting water resources is not only an environmental necessity, but also a prerequisite for the sustainability of the islands and the quality of life of their residents and visitors.”
Stone Terraces May Enter National Policy
The deputy minister announced that the government intends to formally include the revival of traditional techniques such as stone terraces in national planning for island policy.
Today, we are reviving and using traditional techniques, such as stone terraces, as sustainable solutions for water management. Based on the experience of the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Man – MedINA, which has carried out similar constructions on islands such as Kythira, Paros, Ios, and Sifnos, aims to include this action in the text of the National Strategy for Integrated Maritime Policy in the island region.”
According to the ministry, workshops for building and maintaining stone terraces have already been funded in several Aegean islands, while similar projects have been implemented with MedINA’s support.
Gkikas added that these actions are meant to complement infrastructure projects already underway, especially on smaller and drier islands where water supply remains a constant challenge.
“This initiative complements the projects carried out by the General Secretariat for Public Works, which are necessary to meet critical water supply needs, giving priority to small and arid islands. Sustainable water management is a matter of social cohesion and quality of life. And that is precisely why the use of traditional, nature-based solutions for managing our islands’ water resources, with a view to the future, is a choice with a strong developmental and environmental impact.”
The Islands Always Knew This, But Nobody Listened
The discussion also highlighted a familiar reality for anyone living on the islands: traditional methods were never abandoned because they stopped working, but because modern planning often preferred bigger, faster, and more visible projects.
Only now, with drought cycles intensifying, energy costs rising, and infrastructure under pressure, the idea of working with the landscape instead of against it is being presented as innovation rather than memory.
The event was coordinated by the Secretary General for the Aegean and Island Policy, Manolis Koutoulakis, with participation from the Secretary General for Natural Environment and Water, Petros Varelidis, academic experts, and local officials, including the mayors of Ios and Oinousses.
If the new strategy succeeds, the future of water management on the islands may depend less on concrete and more on techniques perfected by islanders long before climate resilience became a conference topic.
