South Corfu Natura Association:"Time to put an end to illegal constructions"

The Association of Friends for the Protection of South Corfu Natura areas has already addressed letters to the relevant services since February 2024, highlighting the illegalities that continue to exist on the beaches and coastal areas of South Corfu, primarily on the beaches of Halikouna and Issos.

Specifically, the Association has sent letters to the Corfu Regional Land Office, the Corfu Forestry Department, as well as to the Central Agency for the Management of National Protected Areas, via the Ionian Islands Protected Areas Unit based in Zakynthos.

In the letter, accompanied by undeniable photographic material, we pointed out that the presence of a permanent wooden structure on Halikouna beach instead of the authorised mobile canteen, with the expansion of bar seating and the operation of a toilet discharging into the lagoon, violates legality in every sense, and we reminded these services of their responsibilities.

The upcoming tourist season is just around the corner, and Corfu - and its beaches - is expected to welcome a large number of visitors. Tourism activity and the businesses associated with it cannot operate without rules and, most importantly, without respect for the environment from which they derive economic benefits.

Given that arbitrary actions and illegality on the beaches and coastline reached a critical point last year, fortunately, there was an order from the Supreme Court Prosecutor to all prosecutors to oversee compliance with the rules and legality on the beaches. Additionally, the recently passed law regarding leases and uses of beaches establishes a new framework for the operation of beaches and businesses on them, with responsibility lying with the Public Land Service and the respective Municipalities.

We would like to believe that, under the established conditions, the situation on the beaches of the South Corfu Natura areas will improve, laws and regulations will be upheld, and the relevant authorities will act according to their responsibilities.

In any case, our Association will remain vigilant, as it did with the case of illegal hunting during the holiday season, where our interventions with the appropriate authorities resulted in a drastic reduction of the phenomenon.

Therefore, we call upon our friends to stand by the Association for actions and initiatives for the benefit of the environment in the area, which will be announced shortly.

Photos: Association of Friends for the Protection of South Corfu Natura areas