Interventions

The Vernon–Vitsi mountain range has now been officially designated as a Protected Landscape, following the adoption of the relevant Ministerial Decisions and the publication of the corresponding Government Gazette, establishing a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of one of Western Macedonia’s most important mountain ecosystems.

The new designation safeguards the area’s biodiversity, forest ecosystems, and its unique natural, cultural, and landscape values, while introducing clear rules to guide future development activities in accordance with the principles of sustainable management.

A key contribution to this achievement came from the environmental organisation Callisto, whose scientists, working in collaboration with environmental consultants from Amyntaio and Florina, prepared the scientific assessment that formed the basis for the area’s official designation and legal protection.

Read more here.

Addressing the illegal use of poison baits remains one of the greatest challenges for biodiversity conservation in Greece. This illegal practice continues to threaten rare and protected wildlife species, including vultures, eagles, bears, and wolves, while also posing serious risks to livestock, companion animals, and public health.

For many years, Callisto has been actively involved in the joint efforts of environmental organisations across Greece to eliminate the use of poison baits. Through its participation in the Working Group Against Poison Baits, Callisto collaborates with partner organisations to coordinate actions, develop joint policy recommendations, and advocate for the effective implementation of legislation, as well as for stronger prevention, enforcement, and prosecution mechanisms.

The sustained efforts of civil society have contributed to several important achievements in recent years. These include the establishment of the National Day of Action Against Poison Baits (22 February), the development and implementation of the National Action Plan, the creation and operation of Special Poison Bait Detection Units within the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA) using specially trained detection dogs, and the gradual strengthening of cooperation between the competent public authorities and nature conservation organisations. These developments demonstrate that long-term collaboration among environmental organisations can lead to meaningful institutional change.

Despite this significant progress, the use of poison baits remains one of the most serious wildlife crimes in Greece. The implementation of existing measures is still inconsistent, while the investigation and prosecution of many poisoning incidents continue to face significant shortcomings. The State must ensure the full implementation of the National Action Plan, strengthen enforcement and prosecution mechanisms, provide sustained support to the competent authorities, and guarantee the long-term operation of the tools and structures that have already been established. Only through continued political commitment, adequate resources, and effective coordination can this problem be effectively addressed.

Callisto actively participates in environmental advocacy concerning renewable energy developments, both within the areas covered by its LIFE projects and across Greece. On the one hand, such interventions form part of the organisation’s commitments under LIFE projects to safeguard biodiversity where infrastructure threatens wildlife habitats. On the other, protecting the natural environment as a public good is both an environmental and a social responsibility.

At Callisto, we recognise mountain ecosystems as biodiversity hotspots that support important species of flora and fauna, and we work to ensure their long-term protection and conservation. We believe that achieving climate and development objectives, including the energy transition, should not come at the cost of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, or increased mortality of wildlife.

These concerns are further compounded by the absence of comprehensive assessments of the cumulative impacts of the numerous wind farms, photovoltaic installations, and small hydropower projects proposed or developed throughout Greece—an issue that represents one of the most significant challenges to biodiversity conservation.

To date, Callisto has submitted formal environmental objections (D11 submissions) concerning proposed renewable energy developments in several regions of the country, including:

-Western Macedonia: 27 wind farms, 2 photovoltaic projects, and 5 small hydropower plants (Vitsi, Triklari, Askio, and Voras mountain ranges).

-Thessaly: 32 wind farms, 1 photovoltaic project, and 2 small hydropower plants (Aspropotamos, Lakmos, and the Agrafa Mountains of Central Pindos).

-Epirus: 11 wind farms and 2 small hydropower plants (Lakmos, Tzoumerka, Xirovouni, and the Pogoni area).

-Central Greece: 29 wind farms (Oiti, Giona, Vardousia, and Othrys mountains).

-Western Greece: 6 wind farms.

-Central Macedonia: 7 wind farms and 1 photovoltaic project.

This work is always carried out in close cooperation with local communities, citizens’ initiatives, environmental organisations, and local authorities, whose collaboration is essential to protecting areas of high ecological value.

Over the past 21 years, through these partnerships, Callisto has successfully contributed to the cancellation or rejection of 30 proposed wind farm developments across Greece. These achievements strengthen our commitment to continue working for the protection of biodiversity and the conservation of the country’s natural heritage.

Thessaloniki faces a significant environmental deficit: a severe lack of urban green space. With only 2 m² of green space per resident, compared with the minimum 10 m² per resident recommended by the World Health Organization, the city is confronted with major environmental challenges that directly affect residents’ quality of life, particularly in the face of the climate crisis.

The shortage of green spaces is far more than an aesthetic issue. It has direct and measurable impacts on public health and everyday life. Limited urban greenery contributes to higher temperatures, intensifies the urban heat island effect, and worsens air pollution. As climate change accelerates, Thessaloniki is becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme summer heat.

Decades of uncontrolled urban development, the extensive paving of public spaces, and the loss of trees have deprived the city of natural mechanisms for climate adaptation. Transforming the current site of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) into a Metropolitan Park would create a vital green lung for the city, enhancing climate resilience while improving the wellbeing of its residents.

As an environmental organisation based in Thessaloniki, Callisto actively promotes public participation in environmental decision-making and initiatives that improve quality of life. From the outset, the organisation supported the campaign led by civil society organisations to collect 23,000 signatures calling for a local referendum on the future of the TIF site, advocating for its transformation into a Metropolitan Park.

To support this initiative, Callisto published an official statement on 7 April 2025 endorsing the signature campaign and subsequently joined four other environmental organisations in signing a joint declaration in support of holding a municipal referendum on the creation of the Metropolitan Park.

The area was originally designated as an “Eco-development Area”, a status that did not adequately reflect its outstanding ecological value and conservation importance.

In April 2007, Callisto launched a coordinated campaign advocating for the area’s designation as a National Park. As part of this effort, we organised public events, produced information materials, and presented our proposals before the Prefectural Councils, the Scientific Committee of the Rhodope Mountain Range Management Body, and other consultation and decision-making forums.

Our efforts were rewarded with the signing of Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) 40379/01.10.2009, which officially designated the area as Rhodope National Park, recognising its exceptional environmental significance.

Today, we continue to support the National Park by advocating for the completion of its institutional framework through the adoption of the pending Presidential Decree and the preparation of a comprehensive Management Plan, both of which remain outstanding.

We also support the establishment of a Transboundary Park in the region, recognising its international ecological importance and promoting more effective cross-border conservation and management.

In collaboration with the Northern Pindos National Park Management Body, environmental organisations, and local community groups, we opposed the proposed construction of a hydropower dam at the headwaters of the Aoos River and continue to work to prevent its development due to the severe impacts it would have on the area’s unique ecosystems. At present, these plans have been suspended, representing an important step towards safeguarding one of Greece’s most valuable mountain river landscapes.

From the very beginning, Callisto has opposed the proposed gold mining project in Skouries, Halkidiki, and continues to do so on both environmental and social grounds. We believe that the argument “we must choose between protecting the economy or protecting the environment” is a false and misleading dilemma. Economic development and employment can be achieved through pathways that do not rely on the irreversible degradation of the natural environment. Such alternatives have repeatedly been proposed by local communities, civil society movements, and environmental organisations.

In addition to participating in public campaigns, awareness-raising initiatives, and civic mobilisation, Callisto has produced three scientific studies examining the proposed mining area. Research on the wolf, golden jackal, and Eurasian otter demonstrated significant shortcomings in the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and highlighted the State’s obligation to ensure the protection of these strictly protected species under both Greek and European legislation.

Callisto has adopted a similarly strong position regarding the privatisation of water services. During the campaign against the proposed privatisation of the Thessaloniki Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYATH), the organisation encouraged citizens to participate in the local referendum held on 18 May 2014. Callisto also participates in the Panhellenic Alliance of Water Movements and Citizens’ Initiatives, working alongside other environmental organisations to raise awareness of the potential impacts of water privatisation on public health, affordability, and the environment.

The issues of gold mining and water privatisation are closely linked through their environmental dimension, as both raise concerns regarding the protection of the human right to safe and clean drinking water. To encourage dialogue between these civic movements, Callisto organised, over a three-year period, a series of public events in Thessaloniki under the title “Movements and the Environment.”

Our advocacy has since expanded to include raising awareness of the potential environmental, social, economic, and democratic implications of international trade agreements such as TTIP, CETA, and TiSA.