| one publication added to basket [30256] | Rethymnon - Case Study
Siakavara, K. (1997). Rethymnon - Case Study, in: Jones, P. et al. The role of Value Conflict Assessment Techniques in the formulation of implementable and effective coastal zone management policies: Contract no: EV5V-CT940392: Case Study Reports and The Research Instrument. pp. 20 In: Jones, P. et al. (1997). The role of Value Conflict Assessment Techniques in the formulation of implementable and effective coastal zone management policies: Contract no: EV5V-CT940392: Case Study Reports and The Research Instrument. European Commission, Directorate General XII Science, Research and Development: [s.l.]. 162 pp., more |
| Abstract | IntroductionIn Greece the coastal zone extends for about 16000 km and 60% of the population live within the 50 km zone adjacent to the coastline. In this narrow strip of land more than 70% of the industrial activities, 90% of tourist investment, nearly 40% of agriculture and most of the fishery and aquaculture activities and installations are found.The concentration of the population and of the economic activities in the coastal area of Crete follows more or less the same pattern. The rapid expansion of urban areas, the parallel demand for second houses for holiday homes, the fast growing but poorly designed and largely uncontrolled industrial, tourist and agriculture development and the lack of a pre-existing or an equally fast growing infrastructure have resulted in the creation of serious problems, in many cases particularly near the major urban centres of Crete. Tourism which is almost exclusively focussed on the coastal zone is the most important source of income for the country and 58% of this economic activity, which returns approximately 1,5 billion $ per year, occurs in the northern areas of the island of Crete.The tourist development of the coastal zone displaced other traditional uses like agriculture, fisheries etc. and tends to occupy the biggest part of the coastal areas in a distance of 1 km from the seashores. The expansion of the tourism activity took place without previous planning of land use and often without the proper infrastructure or anticipation of demands. Today the degradation of coastal natural resources is obvious and the pressures for further expansion of tourism and other related activities are increasing. Although it seems that there is a general agreement that the coastal areas will continue to be used for recreational activities there are several conflicting aspects concerning mainly the management of the existing problems, the establishment of new priorities like protection and conservation of the coastal natural resources and sometimes the restriction of further tourism development.In the context of the VALCOAST project the coastal area east of Rethymnon town in Crete has been chosen as a case-study area based on the following characteristics:- The typical tourist development is representative of the use of the coastal zone in Greece,- The existence of the seconc most important nesting beach in the Mediterranean of the endangered species Caretta caretta,- The proposal to designate it as a Special Area for Conservation (SAC) in the context of the NATURA 2000 European project. |
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