PM Mitsotakis visits Dadia Forest, promises changes in fire prevention organisation

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“Clearly many things must change and they will change in the way that we organise the prevention of forest fires,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday while visiting the Dadia Forest after the recent devastating wildfires.

While some things had been done after the major fire in 2022, the prime minister pointed out, at which time Dadia had been identified as a forest of national and European importance that needed to be protected “the truth is that, unfortunately, we did not succeed in doing this as we had planned.”

“We must be honest with ourselves in order to improve,” he added, in a statement after meeting the Forest Management Body for a briefing on the assessed impact of the recent fire, based on high-resolution satellite images.

The meeting also discussed the steps for the recovery of the forest, both in terms of anti-flooding and anti-erosion works and for the protection of the ecosystem, as well as action to support the region.

In a statement afterward, Mitsotakis thanked all those involved in the fight against the wildfire and said the satellite images allowed some room for optimism amid the gloom, as the extent of the damage was not as great as originally feared.

“There are several areas that have either not been burned at all or are minimally burned, which will help in their natural regeneration and therefore, obviously, in the protection of the fauna,” he said.

He referred to the experience with anti-flooding and erosion works in Evia, noting that the forest there had already begun to grow back.

Meeting at Alexandroupolis Regional Unit headquarters

The prime minister repeated that the successful model adopted in Northern Evia will also be employed to cope with the repercussions of the fires in Evros, during a meeting with representatives of local organisations and bodies at the Alexandroupolis regional unit headquarters.

He also pledged government support for the area’s residents and said preparations were under way so that works for the restoration of the Evros National Park can be carried out in record time.
He also stated that emphasis will be given to protecting the borders in Evros and reducing the flow of illegal migrants.

Mitsotakis additionally referred to the overall growth strategy for Evros, saying that Alexandroupolis is rapidly becoming a city with a exceptional geopolitical global footprint.
The prime minister’s personal advisor Giorgos Amyras also presented figures indicating that 5,000 hectares of forest in Evros were lost, 20,000 can recover and 18,000 were not burnt.

Source: ANA – MPA

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