- OFYPEKA confirms that targeted safety and protection interventions in Samaria Gorge will continue into the next season
- Assurances were given to the Mayor of Sfakia, Giannis Zervos, by OFYPEKA CEO Konstantinos Triantis
- The White Mountains and Samaria Gorge are described as natural assets of national and global importance.
- The Imbros and Aradena gorges are also included in ongoing protection and development planning.
- Experts warn that Crete’s mountain landscapes face increasing pressure from unregulated renewable energy installations.
- The discussion follows intense public debate sparked by the installation of a large Christmas tree near the entrance to Samaria Gorge.
- The case highlights growing concerns about how interventions—festive or otherwise—are managed in protected natural areas.
The renewed focus on protection follows intense public backlash over the recent installation and lighting of a large Christmas tree near the entrance to Samaria Gorge. While opinions remain divided, the episode has brought wider attention to how sensitive landscapes are managed — and where the line is drawn between visibility, celebration, and responsibility.
Targeted interventions to improve safety in the Samaria Gorge will continue into the next season, according to assurances from the CEO of the Organisation for Natural Environment and Climate Change (OFYPEKA), Konstantinos Triantis, to the Mayor of Sfakia, Giannis Zervos.
The commitment was confirmed during a recent visit, during which a discussion focused on ongoing and future actions to protect and enhance the wider White Mountains region. Speaking at the meeting, Mayor Zervos emphasized the broader importance of the area, noting that Samaria and the surrounding gorges are not merely local landmarks but part of a natural heritage of national and international significance.
“The purpose of my visit was to further highlight the actions we are jointly planning for the protection and promotion of the White Mountains,” Zervos said. “The White Mountains, the Samaria Gorge, as well as other gorges where we are moving forward through programmatic agreements with OFYPEKA — such as Imbros Gorge and Aradena Gorge — are a natural treasure. This is not just of local importance. It is a national asset, a global destination, a monument of nature, and we have an obligation to protect it.”
At the same time, OFYPEKA experts are placing particular emphasis on the long-term protection and management of Crete’s mountainous regions. According to Charalampos Fassoulas, President of the UNESCO Global Geopark of Psiloritis, the greatest pressure currently facing the island’s mountain ranges comes from the rapid and often uncoordinated expansion of renewable energy installations.
“These developments are taking place without adequate measures or planning,” Fassoulas warned. “There needs to be a clear limit and an open discussion. We must move away from fossil fuels, but we also need to decide how, where, and to what extent renewable energy installations can expand — especially in sensitive mountain environments.”
The discussion highlights a growing awareness that safeguarding Crete’s most iconic landscapes requires balance between access and protection, development and restraint, and visibility and responsibility.
Watch the related report from CRETA TV’s main news bulletin (video in Greek):