Project Description

Architectural Design of the NECCA GIS system for the National Natura 2000 protected areas

Start Date

01 August 2023

Duration

12 Months

The year 2020 marks a milestone for the management of Protected Areas (PAs) in Greece with the publication of Law 4685/2020 (Government Gazette A92/7.5.2020), whereby the National System of Governance of Protected Areas is defined and the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (N.E.C.C.A.) is established.

The management system reflected in the new law essentially reinforces the cooperation of all competent authorities and organizations, as well as the coordination of all Management Bodies under the umbrella of N.E.C.C.A.

With the aim of implementing a modernized and contemporary system of governance for Protected Areas (PAs), the Ministry of Environment and Energy deemed it necessary to unify planning under one combined scientific, consulting and coordinating body for the effective organization of governance and management of these areas.

Until recently, the management of PAs in Greece was carried out by the competent Department of Natural Environment and Biodiversity Management of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN) and by the Management Bodies of Protected Areas (MBPA), which are private law legal entities supervised by the MEEN. Throughout its 20 years of operation, this governance system encountered various difficulties, (involving coordination, absorption of EU funds, production of scientific information), and ultimately suffered from a lack of uniformity and absence of a common approach towards PA and species management.

N.E.C.C.A aims to implement the policy formulated by the MEEN for the management of protected areas.