The Small Hydroelectric Project that started construction in the area Nature 2000 of North Pindos National Park Illegal under Greek and European law and threatening important species, the Greek Ornithological Society, Arktouros, Kallisto and four other environmental organizations have complained.
Implementation of the project in the “Yotsa” stream of Smolika mountain (which The Unflyable Mountain has been declaredo) was canceled in 2021 after the efforts of the organizations, but received the green light with the issuance of the amendment Decision on the Approval of Environmental Conditions (AEPO) by the Decentralized Administration of the Western Macedonian Continent, the organizations report.
“The work is carried out in the North Pindos National Park and Special Protection Zone / Special Protection Zone (Natura 2000 site) code GR2130002 ‘Peaks of Mount Smolika’,” complains the letter jointly signed with Prespa Conservation. Society and Bouluki, Pindos organizations Environment and MedINA.
The project violates “EU and national legislation that specifically designates mapped areas with priority habitat types as exclusion zones for the installation of small hydropower projects.”
Work that has already started has already “destroyed” the part of the forest covered with endemic black pines belonging to the priority habitat.
As the organizations mentioned, before the construction of the project, several negative opinions were received from the North Pindos National Park Management Agency, OFYPEKA and the Directorate of Forestry of Ioannina.
Important species live in the dam area:
- Ionian trout (Salmo farioides), for which the statutory “National Action Plan (NAP) for native trout species in Greece” is valid from 2021.
- otter (Luther Luther), presence was confirmed both upstream and downstream of the MYHE construction site.
- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and white-tailed deer (Neophron percnopterus), species classified as “Endangered” and “Critically Endangered” respectively according to the Greek Red List of Threatened Species.
- brown bear (Ursus arctos), a priority species (Annex II of the Community Directive 92/43/EC), the conservation status was assessed as “Unsatisfactorily improving (U1+)”.
In addition, the LIFE ARCPROM European project is being implemented in parallel to improve the conditions for the coexistence of brown bears and people in the area where the project is implemented.
A dam also in Aoos
In addition, organizations complain about the construction of a dam in the Aoos River catchment area. The last free-flowing river in Europe.
And this, despite the resounding message of the Ministry of Environment and Energy against the fragmentation and degradation of river ecosystems, with the main decision prohibiting the installation of Small Hydroelectric Power Stations and barriers in the Protected Landscape and Protected Natural Form of Sarantaporos.
The organizations are demanding that the work be suspended until the ministry verifies the project’s license and that the Decentralized Administration of Epirus cancel the amendments to the environmental permit and the installation permit.