Weak Laws, Neglect Behind Greek Fires - Greenpeace
Date: 28-Aug-07
Country: GREECE
Author: Dina Kyriakidou
The fires, fanned by strong winds, have engulfed whole
villages, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and burned
millions of hectares of woods and farmland dried by summer heat.
Greece has declared a state of emergency and sought help
from its EU partners. The prime minister, facing parliamentary
elections on Sept. 16, indicated arsonists might have been
responsible and vowed to punish them.
"There are several well known 'arsonists' in Greece --
garbage dumps (burning spontaneously), farmers burning brush,
animal farmers burning land to sprout fresh grass for grazing,"
said Nikos Charalambides, director of Greenpeace in Greece.
"But the biggest arsonist is the state, which has not
clarified the use of land, leaving suburban forests vulnerable
to rogue developers," he added in an interview with Reuters.
"The lack of a national land registry and national zoning
laws leave room for doubt about the characterisation of land,
whether it is forest or not," Charalambides said.
Many forest fires, especially those close to urban centres,
are believed to be started by developers burning down woods to
make way for new construction.
It is illegal in Greece to burn forests in order to build
houses on the land, but the laws are vague about the definition
of protected land and developers are rarely prosecuted.
Concrete buildings are often seen rising amid the ashes of
burnt-out woodland.
Police have charged three elderly people and two 11-year-old
boys with setting fires, and the government has offered rewards
of up to one million euros (US$1.4 million) for information
leading to the arrest of arsonists.
The Public Order Ministry said prosecutors would find out
whether arson could be subjected to the same penalties as
terrorism faces in the penal code.
Charalambides said the current spate of fires, the deadliest
in recorded Greek history, have burned 2.5 million hectares so
far this year, compared with 1.5 million hectares in 1981,
previously the worst year on record.
"Not all fires are arson. Mediterranean forests burn and are
reborn, provided they are left alone," Charalambides said.
