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Tilos Park is an Environmental Non-Profit NGO. [ISSN: 1790-1421]

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Newsletter 14

VISA is the MasterCard of Friendship

Minister Avromopoulos, Greek Minister of Tourism, should check the latest balance of his VISA accounts. No, we are not referring to the Minister’s personal finances. We are, regrettably, referring to a Greek government diplomatic office in Izmir, Turkey, that may be creating a serious deficit rather than a credit to the Minister’s efforts in increasing Greek tourism.

An emergency winter cabinet meeting in Athens under the auspices of Prime Minister Karamanlis resulted in an acknowledgement of a very serious government concern and proposals to solve the problem. The problem is reported to be a 20% cumulative decrease in Greek tourism during the immediately preceding four year period which included the year in which Athens hosted the International Olympics. Proposals designed to solve the problem included the commencement of Greek tourism advertising earlier than usual and the distribution of communiqués to all Municipalities to concentrate greater efforts on tourism within their regional areas so that coordinated tourism efforts are made from the national level down through to the local levels.

The Tilos Park Office immediately responded to this alert. One of its ideas was to search for EU programs that might assist Tilos in adding to its pre-existing tourism markets. Through the efforts of the Tilos Park Office, the City of Armutalan, Turkey, with its natural beauty, National Forest, developed tourism industry and close proximity to Tilos, graciously agreed to explore the feasibility of joint cooperation in culture, tourism and employment for the region by inviting a Tilos delegation at the expense of Armutalan to discuss the subject. The Turkish government at the request of the Mayor of Armutalan promptly waived the visa fee for one hundred members of the visiting Greek party to Turkey.

The results of this May 6-8 Greek visit to Armutalan, which have been reported in this Newsletter, included a reciprocal invitation by the Tilos Municipality to a working delegation from Armutalan as well as Turkish citizens to visit Tilos in June.

The Office of the Greek Consul General in Izmir failed, refused or neglected to acknowledge or respond to the official written request of Mayor Aliferis of Tilos to waive the visa fee for these invited visitors. As a result, all of the Turkish visitors had to pay for a three day visa through the time-consuming and expensive process of mailing passports and paying fees that the Turkish government did not require their Greek counterparts to pay in May.

At the June Turkish-Greek conference on Tilos, the Tilos and Armutalan working committees mutually agreed upon the necessity of future meetings, many of which would be held in Rhodes during the year because it is a half-way point between the two municipalities. As a result, the Tilos Mayor sent a second official request to the Greek Consul General in Izmir specifically requesting a one year visa for multiple visits at no charge for the working committee of Armutalan.

Again, the Greek Consul General in Izmir failed, refused or neglected to acknowledge or respond to the second official written request of the Tilos Municipality to reciprocate what Turkey had already generously given in May.

At the third Greek-Turkish meeting on July 13th in Rhodes in which the Tilos and Armutalan working committees exchanged ideas to expand tourism, culture and employment, the Mayor of Armutalan expressed his sincere and understandable disappointment that each member of the Turkish working delegation, including a Turkish news correspondent who participated in the entire meeting, was required to pay 98 euros per person for a three month, multiple visit visa (except the Armutalan Mayor who received a one year visa). This represents the payment of almost one thousand euros by the Turkish working party just to attend a one day meeting in Rhodes with an unknown number of future meetings for the remainder of this summer. This is the second trip to Greece for the Turkish and the second time that they have had to obtain visas with a substantial fee.

A Need to Account for Accounts for which One May or May Not Be Able to Account

The most disturbing problem concerns the subject of an official letter from the Mayor of Armutalan to the Mayor of Tilos in which each Turkish passport received a stamped visa in July with the receipt showing that only 66,5 euros had been paid by each person even though each member of the Turkish delegation converted for us the amount of Turkish lira paid by each, representing approximately 98 euros. The amount paid appears to be fifty percent more than the written receipt.

Can the Office of the Greek Consul General in Izmir account for this discrepancy and, if it exists, (1) can one explain why a written receipt reflects a lesser amount than the money alleged to have been paid, (2) do the repeated Greek failures to reciprocate visa fee waivers for cross-border tourism expansion committees and the alleged visa receipt discrepancies constitute an official or unofficial policy of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (3) is the foregoing conduct equitably applied to all countries requiring visas for its citizens to visit Greece or is Turkey treated differently, and (4) is there a specific accounting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for any alleged discrepancy between reported visa fees paid and alleged visa fees paid?

The Office of the Greek Consul General in Izmir declined to accept the Tilos Municipality invitation to attend any part of the June Turkish-Greek visit to Tilos with cultural events and a working conference that Nilufer Feyizoglu, the Turkish Consul General of Rhodes, assisted in coordinating and participated in fully. There is a time honored expression that states: “In order to have a friend, you have to be a friend.”

Minister Avromopoulos may be well advised to look through his visa accounts that could be at risk of destroying his efforts to strengthen Greek tourism.

An Open Letter to Tilos Park Opponents and Those Who Will Not Listen to Them

Epops: “An open mind is a weapon in itself.”

Koryphaios: “You may be right. At least it can do no harm to hear what they have to say. It may be we shall take some profit even from what we hate.”

Taken from the section entitled Parados of the play: The Birds

Written by Aristophanes and produced in 414 B.C.

An outspoken play that attacks civil neurosis in its comedy

On Friday evening, July 8, 2005, at 06:20 p.m., eight island tourists who came to Tilos to absorb some of our local culture, spend time with us, contribute to our local economy, exchange stories about our respective homelands and learn more about our island’s plans for the future from the Tilos Park Director were driven away from our Tilos Park office by a very real fear of impending violence.

These tourists, including British and Swedish guests, came to the Tilos Park Office to learn about our Life-Nature Program sponsored by the European Union and the Greek Ministry of Agriculture, our status as a Special Protection Area for the Birds, our inclusion in the Natura 2000 Network and our most precious asset: our natural heritage on Tilos which shows many different forms when people stop and take the time to look.

The tourists fled quickly when a group of sixteen extremely angry people including a member of the Tilos agricultural community, a hotel owner, a governmental representative as well as several non-resident Tilos landowners, stormed into the office screaming and yelling with gestures that reasonably frightened the Park guests. This intrusion that terminated our Park meeting continued with verbal threats of potential physical violence against those who are currently associated with the Life Nature program and those who are advancing the successful applications for programs with European Union funding to improve the quality of life on Tilos.

Although witness reports of the foregoing incident by members of the surrounding community may be useful to the authorities in the event of any future official inquiries concerning any criminal acts that may occur against the Park office, equipment or staff, it is the policy of the Tilos Park Association to talk with anyone who wishes to discuss island park plans on one condition. This condition is that non-violent conversation will be the sole and exclusive means of communication to make our island world a more peaceful place of mutual understanding through the Park’s efforts to find common goals for future joint cooperation.

This is an open letter to those in the meeting who specifically demanded that we on Tilos stop bringing in money from these EU programs for one year and stop working on programs with Turkey.

One might ask many of the people who disrupted our Park meeting and who own land, homes and successful businesses on Tilos and other cities in the world, (including businesses that enabled some of them to pay thousands of euros for air fare and holiday expenses for themselves and their families), do you even begin to understand the needs of others who are in serious need of employment here on the island and do not have the financial wealth and security that you appear to possess?

The objective of the professional programs that the European Union thankfully has established for remote and isolated European areas such as Tilos Island serves a multitude of purposes including (1) improved infrastructure necessary to support basic health and safety systems (including roads, electricity, a heliport that has already transferred our extremely sick patients to the nearest hospital in Rhodes, a water reservoir for one of the driest land areas in the country, etc.), (2) preservation of the environment, (3) the critical need for our young citizens to have the dignity of basic employment and (4) the critical need to promote peace and understanding between nations such as our collaboration with Turkey for the purpose of employment creation and cross-border cultural exchanges.

I appreciate the apologies I received from some of the Tilos landowners after a two and one half hour discussion that included an explanation of the facts about the proposed Tilos Natural Park as such facts have been documented with the Ministry of Environment in Athens. I also explained that the Ministry of Environment has confirmed with The Tilos Park Association as well as directly in meetings with members of the group opposed to the Tilos Park that there is no truth to the rumors that had been circulating about Governmental land confiscation.

To those Tilos landowners who gave no response to my two and one half hour explanation of what funding programs are currently being implemented and considered on Tilos and who persist in condemning the European Union and Tilos Park employment proposals, I ask you to do only one thing for the benefit of everyone on this island. Kindly explain the following to our youngest citizens:

1. Your personal, self-serving reasons why you want Tilos to stop for one entire year bringing in European Union funding for legitimately needed programs thereby depriving every business owner and our working population from 16 to 65 years of age on the island of the ability to make a living.

2. Specific and detailed proposals each of you has for job creation on this island. You have the right to express your opinion concerning what you are against but you then have a corresponding responsibility to tell us what you propose as a serious and feasible alternative so that we can survive.

3. The reasons you advocate and in some cases demonstrate the very acts of civil disruption (that is frightening to people such as our tourist guests) and threats of violence, both of which you routinely condemn others around the world for perpetrating against the Greeks. Threats of violence and frightening civil disruption, whether on an international, national or local level, causes pain and suffering to its victims for whom you have demonstrated a grievous lack of concern.

4. The reasons you want to destroy our prospects for participating in an EU sponsored joint Greek-Turkish employment program. You complain constantly about our joint historical wars but you seem to demand that we on Tilos should deprive ourselves of an opportunity for peace. How can you explain that conundrum to your children and still say that our tensions are the fault of others?

5. And, lastly, kindly explain the true facts of our employment programs to our youth as the truth was explained to you by the Ministry of Environment after the meeting your representatives had with them in Athens and the same facts explained to members of your group by the Tilos Park Director in October 2003 (Founders Day meeting) in Livadia; on April 12, 2004 at a four hour meeting in Eristos Beach; on January 23, 2005 at a two hour meeting in Eristos Beach; and July 8, 2005 at this two and a half hour meeting concerning exactly what actions are being proposed as well as implemented.

In the event that there are any hotel owners who currently wish to express support for the Tilos Park opposition group demands that Tilos terminate all EU funding programs for one year that include the joint ecotourism expansion plans with Turkey, please advise the appropriate agencies in the event of a desire by any such hotel owner to respectfully decline future participation in proposed joint Tilos-Armutalan tourism packages.

To the group opposed to the Tilos Park and EU programs, we look forward to receiving any written alternative employment proposals for Tilos that you may have.

Special Guests Visit Tilos!

An unexpected delegation of five representatives from the Melissa [translation: Honey Bee] Association in Attica, which is a philanthropic organization created for the purpose of providing scholarships for Dodacanese students, came to Tilos to learn about the development of the Tilos Natural Park and Tilos eco-tourism that is designed to support the conservation of our endangered Aegean flora and fauna. The members of this Association who live in the Athens area have familial roots and/or a sincere interest in the Dodecanese Island chain and make regular visits to the islands as part of their philanthropic and educational activities. The President, Themelina Charalampopoulou, and the four visiting members of the Melissa Association were given a guided tour of the island by an enthusiastic resident who was happy to pile his guests into a minivan and show them the natural treasures of the island. He arranged for their meeting with the Project Coordinator of the Tilos Life-Nature Program (subsidized by the European Union) at “En Plo” Café in Eristos Beach where Manolis Hadzifoudas as proprietor offered them refreshments as his guests. The delegation expressed an interest in the unique enthusiasm and initiative of local residents forming an environmental organization to help build a permanent infrastructure for the preservation of endangered resident and migratory birds as well as rare indigenous flora. At the end of their journey, the delegation waived good-bye to their driver and guide who said he hoped he would have the pleasure of seeing them again soon, but he added with a sense of urgency that he must get back to his regular day job. We hope that you, our readers, will join us on Tilos very soon to see all of these exciting developments. Maybe you might even have the same enthusiastic driver with the borrowed minivan who turned out to be Dr. Anastasios Aliferis, the Mayor of Tilos.

We Need Your Support

Please, consider becoming a Member of the Tilos Park Association. For just €30 per year, your membership will add strength to our voice in the preservation of the natural heritage of Tilos. To receive a membership application package send us an e-mail at: [email protected]

September 28, 2005 in Environmental Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Newsletter 5

The Tilos Park Elections

Eristos_2
Dear Members of the Tilos Park:

It is Election time! Thank you for your support that enabled us to arrive at this crucial moment for our Association’s development. As per Article 10 of our bylaws, the positions are:

1. President (Community relations representative; person responsible for Board of Directors members’ execution of duties).
2. Vice-president (executes also duties of Director of Association Administration and General Secretary).
3. Scientific Director (supervisor of the Scientific Committee).
4. Economic Director (executes also the duties of Treasurer).
5. Legal Director (liaison with the legal counsel officially retained by the association; the legal Director cannot serve as association legal counsel during this term of Board of Directors office).
6. Director of Strategic Growth (the development of the association business plan).
7. Director of Press (in charge of all the publications of the association and the public relations with the members of the press).
8. Director of Marketing and Business Development (in charge of the marketing, promotional and business development activities of the association).
9. Director of Purchasing (in charge of the selection of suppliers to the association).

I have the pleasure to present to you biographical notes of all who expressed an interest or have been nominated to serve our membership from a position on the Board of Directors. Thank you once again for your support and remember: Every vote is important to us!

Sincerely yours,

Konstantinos Mentzelopoulos
Director

Candidate for President

Anastasios Aliferis, MD, was born in Lahi, Laconia, Greece, on November 12, 1951. Tasos, as his friends call him, has been the elected Mayor of Tilos since 1995. During this period he has been responsible for attracting €12.585.473 in public and private investment funds for the island’s infrastructure development that have improved the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. A devoted environmentalist, Tasos initiated a campaign to ban hunting on Tilos. This successful campaign earned him the support of the majority of Tilians, 6.000 environmentalists from throughout Europe who signed a petition that was delivered to the European Parliament and an award from the Greek Society for the Protection of Nature. Tasos is the President of the Tilos 21st Century shipping company, the medical doctor of Tilos and the founder of the Tilos Telemedicine service, which has become a telemedicine pilot program for all the islands of the Mediterranean. As Mayor, Tasos commissioned the environmental study that earned Tilos the recognition of being a SPA (Special Protection Area for the Birds) and a NATURA area. Tasos is is a founding member of the Tilos Park Association and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the President.

Candidate for Vice President

Konstantinos Mentzelopoulos was born in Athens, Greece, on September 29, 1956. His long-standing career has been in business development and serving environmental and humanitarian causes. He has served as the Managing Director of H. J. Meyers & Co., Inc, the largest Californian independent investment bank, as an adviser to the Social Fund of the Commission of the European Union, as the Executive Director of The Pullman-Washington Chamber of Commerce, as the President of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, as the Founder and Director of the Californian Council of European-American Chambers of Commerce, as the Director of the Axios Foundation, as a member of the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles Rainbow Coalition, and has been a long standing member of the American Marketing Association, American Personnel Industrial Relations Association, Sierra Club, Greenpeace International, Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society, Jacque Yves Cousteau Society, WWF International, Save the Wolf Maine Coalition, Greek Ornithological Society, Save the Children International, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union, Rotary International and Slow Food International. Constantine’s articles and photographs have been published on many American and European publications and he worked as a volunteer news editor for the KPCC FM radio station in California, which is part of the National Public Radio Network. Constantine resides on Tilos and he is currently working as an Adviser to the Tilos Municipality. He is the Founder and the Interim Director of the Tilos Park Association, and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Vice President.

Candidate for Scientific Director

Aimilia Drougas, Ph.D., was born in Athens, Greece, on July 18, 1959. Aimilia is a biologist, geologist-oceanographer, professor at the Structural & Civil Department of TEI of Piraeus and general secretary of the Cetacean Rescue & Rehabilitation Research Center-ARION. She worked as a biologist for US Environmental Protection Agencies, as a chemical engineer and Q/A analyst for a ceramic microchip manufacturer, conducted geotechnical, hydro-geological, environmental and oceanographic feasibility studies for community and private sectors and specialized on management of biodiverse ecosystems and coastal protected areas. Aimilia has been trained since 1978 in underwater research and dolphin rescuing and management, as well as, marine turtle research and conservation through United Nations/Specially Protected Areas programs and the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture and the US National Coast Guard. She directed the Mediterranean Association to Save Sea Turtles, served as the President of the DELPHIS Society for the conservation of cetaceans, co-founded the Cetacean Rescue & Rehabilitation Research Center at Halkidiki, Greece, and she is a fellow member of the International Oceanographic Foundation, the National Resources Defense Council in USA, a member of the Marine Mammal Society, the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, the European Cetacean Society, the Hellenic Chamber of Sustainable Development and Biodiversity, member of the Executive Committee on marine protection at Friends of the Earth-Greece and at the Hellenic Rescue Network “PROMETHEUS” for Natural Disasters on coastal and marine environment. In her lifetime she has also been a member or scientific advisor of Greenpeace International-Chicago’s Great Lakes, WWF International, Sierra Club, Jacque Yves Cousteau Society, Oceanic Society, the Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Underwater Research and Activities club. Aimilia is a founding member of the Tilos Park Association and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Scientific Director.

Candidate for Financial Director

Spiridon Logothetis was born in Athens, Greece, on February 8, 1971. Spiros, as his friends call him, graduated with a degree in Business Administration/Accountancy from the University of Piraeus. Spiros has worked for the Private and Public Sector holding the positions of Accountant, Internal Financial Auditor and Financial Analyst. He is a long standing member of the Economic Chamber and he is a licensed Economic Adviser and Accountant-Tax Specialist. He resides on Tilos and he is currently working as an independent accountant and for the Citizens Information Centre of the Greek Ministry of Interior Affairs. Spiros is a founding member of the Tilos Park Association and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Financial Director.

Candidate for Legal Director

Eleftherios Levantis, Μ. Sc., was born in Athens on January 23, 1963. He is a member of the Athens Bar Association and a Ph.D. candidate at the Athens Law School specializing on international and European Environmental Law, on the establishment and management of Marine Protected Areas in the EU. He is a Lecturer for Environmental law and policy at the Greek Police Academy and a legal counsel and consultant in environmental law for the General Secretary of the Regional Administration of Attica. He worked as a consultant for the Cypriot government on the approximation of the Cypriot Environmental legislation to the European Union environmental aquis and for the IUCN Environmental Law Center. He represented the European Public Law Center, as well as national and international non-governmental environmental organizations to the Council of Europe in Scientific Workshops as well as the Proceedings of the Bern Convention on the protection of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Eleftherios has consulted and represented national or international environmental organizations (Archipelagos Marine and coastal management, Mediterranean SOS Action Group, Zakynthine Ecological Movement, MEDASSET) to national authorities and he was the legal advisor of the international Environmental Organization ‘Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles’. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the bimonthly legal magazine “Environment and Law”, a member of the European Environmental Law Association, the Scientific Committee of the environmental NGO ‘Archipelagos’, the Greek Environmental Law Association, the Greek Society of Environmental law and the Heidelberg Alumni International. Eleftherios is a founding member of the Tilos Park Foundation and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Legal Director.

Candidate for Director of Strategic Growth

Susan Hannon, PhD., is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada, Director of the Meanook Biological Research Station, and a member of the NSERC advisory panel for CWS/University Research Chairs, American Ornithologists Union, WISEST Committee (Women in Science), International Ornithological Congress, Steering Committee of the Boreal Bird Centre, Scientific Advisory Committee of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Space Committee of the Biological Sciences Dept. of the University of Alberta, Animal Behavior Society, British Ecological Society, Canadian Nature Federation, Cooper Ornithological Society, Society of Canadian Ornithologists, Society for Conservation Biology and Ecological Society of America. Dr. Hannon has been awarded the Killam Annual Professorship, the McCalla Professorship, and the NSERC University of Alberta Research Fellowship. Susan is a founding member of the Tilos Park Foundation and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Strategic Growth Director.

Candidate for Director of Press

Panagiotis Vouros was born in Greece on December 14, 1967. In April 1993 he graduated from the University of the Aegean with a degree in Environmental Science. His thesis objective was on the Dynamics of bacterial-phytoplanktonic systems influenced by eutrophication. After competing his military service at the Military Navy in 1994, he attended a two-year postgraduate course in the Department of Environment; Throughout his PhD candidacy, he designed his thesis on the Contribution of air-pollution levels in microenvironments on total exposure of civil population, which he nearly finished because of external, family crisis, beyond his power. Between 1997-2001, he worked in the Private Sector in various enterprises having as a main object, that of his studies. Suggestively, we report his occupation as a Research assistant for the “Air and Sante’ programmed, in cooperation with partners from England, France and Greece; in an Environmental Education programmed of air pollution and health effects, which was held by the Medical School of Athens University, other Environmental Education Centers, Phytopathological Institutes and the Mediterranean Environment Company. He has also contributed to the writing of a guide for school educators, holding the title ’Transport Networks and the Environment’ within the framework of the work ‘Planning and production of Educative Environmental material’. He has also worked in Vocational Training Centers (K.E.K.) and in a business consultancy company, as an executive, as well as a special scientific partner/consultant for the Development and Operation of a Recycling Program at the company’s headquarters. Since 1995 he has voluntarily occupied himself with Environmental Education Programs and more specifically in their Planning, Organization and Materialization, all over Greece. Panagiotis holds an Installation Systems Consultant Certificate, ISO 14000 as well as HACCP Systems. To conclude, since 1995 Panagiotis has been the president and vice-president of the Organization of Environmental Education and Culture at the Department of the Environment of which he is also the founder, as well as the Environmental Organizations’ Network for the Environmental Education in Greece. Since August 2003,he has been executing his duties as a vice-president and Public Relations and Press’ representative of the Employees’ Association of the Cyclades Prefecture. Since December 2001, he has been working for the Department of Planning and Environment of the Cyclades Prefecture, with multi-dimensional responsibilities aiming at the protection of the Environment in the Cyclades. Panagiotis is a founding member of the Tilos Park Foundation and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Press Director.

Candidate for Director of Marketing & Business Development

Michael Kypraios was born in Rhodes on February 28, 1969. He manages the family owned Eleni Hotel and Eleni Grocery Market both located in Livadia, Tilos. He has been elected as a Member of the Tilos City Council since 2002. Michael holds the position of the President of the Tilos Hotel Owners Association, the First Secretary of the Greek Socialist Party (PASOK) branch on Tilos, the Vice President of the Tilos Cultural Association and he was a founding member of the Action Committee to ban hunting on Tilos. Michael is a founding member of the Tilos Park Foundation and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Director for Marketing and Business Development.

Candidate for Director of Purchasing

Ilias Christofis was born in Rhodes on August 20, 1956. He is the President of Christofis Holidays and Managing Director of the Hotel Irini both in Livadia, Tilos. Ilias is an elected Member of the Tilos City Council, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tilos 21st Century Shipping Company and a member of the Tilos Cultural Association. Ilias is a founding member of the Tilos Park Foundation and wishes to serve its membership from the position of the Director of Purchasing.

November 02, 2004 in Environmental Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Newsletter 4

A Visit to Tilos by Dr. Susan Hannon

St_andreas_cape
August may not be the best time to visit Tilos Island, especially for a Canadian coming from a cool, wet western summer. My first impressions were: a hot, dry, inhospitable environment. Luckily the people were anything but!

My host, Konstantinos Mentzelopoulos, was very warm and welcoming and filled with enthusiasm and ideas for setting up a park on this wonderful island. I was joined by oceanographer Dr. Aimilia Drougas and Mr. Xenofon Kappas, Director of the Greek Ornithological Society, in my trip to investigate the island and I learned a lot from each of them about the geological origins of the island and the life of the Eleornora’s falcon respectively. We were met at the wharf at Livadia by Konstantinos, who looked like a boy scout troop leader, garbed in shorts, khaki shirt and brimmed hat and armed with a corn-cob pipe. We convened at a nearby café and Konstantinos gave us a brief history of the island and how he came to live here. He pointed out on a map the locations of the proposed protected areas: mostly high rocky areas and parts of islets surrounding the island. These are areas where local citizens have bought into the idea of the park, but, like many places in the world, they are spots where the possibility of human economic gain are slim. I found that my host had many ideas as to how other areas on the Island could be either brought into the park or could be used in a sustainable way.

I spent four days on the island, one day touring around the whole island, visiting Mikro Horio, Megalo Horio, the caves with the pygmy elephant bones, wonderful long clean beaches, and the marvelous jewel on the west side: the monastery at Agios Pandeleimonas. Other days were filled with swimming, hiking to the north and south of Livadia along spectacular trails with views of pristine beaches, terraced hills, blue rock thrush flitting over the rocks, goats, more goats and always the blue, blue sky and translucent water meeting at the coast of Turkey in the distance. And of course, many more discussions with Konstantinos and his wonderful wife Candice.

What I found most intriguing was the idea that mammals and birds had adapted over thousands of years to cultural landscapes, in particular the grain that was planted on the terraced slopes. With the exodus of people from Tilos after the war, these terraces were abandoned and species that relied on them have declined. One of the more innovative management plans is to restore these grain crops in the hopes of expanding populations at the lower end of the food chain. This will hopefully enhance populations of birds of prey, such as the Eleornora’s falcon and Bonelli’s eagle. Interestingly, after I left Tilos, I went to Hamburg, Germany and there learned about the restoration of another cultural landscape: heath lands. These habitats have also disappeared taking with them many charismatic species, such as the black grouse. The conservation challenges in Germany and Tilos are similar: restoration of cultural and natural landscapes and the development of sustainable agricultural practices and ecotourism that will give long-term economic benefits to local people, thereby ensuring support for conservation efforts.

Tilos is an incredible place that has not been spoiled by unrestrained unsustainable development. It is one of the few places left in the Aegean Sea like this and thus is of global importance as a representative of a rare ecosystem. With good planning, a strong vision and a will to make it so, it could emerge as a world model for ecologically and economically sustainable development.

The Tilos Park Elections

Eristos_1_1
Dear Members of the Tilos Park Association:

It is Election time! Thank you for your warm-hearted support that has enabled us to arrive at this crucial moment for our Association’s development. Please, consider serving on our Board for the next two year term. Your skills, experience, and enthusiasm are needed. As per Article 10 of our bylaws, the positions are:

1. President (Community relations representative; person responsible for Board of Directors members’ execution of duties).
2. Vice-president (executes also duties of Director of Association Administration and General Secretary).
3. Scientific Director (supervisor of the Scientific Committee).
4. Economic Director (executes also the duties of Treasurer).
5. Legal Director (liaison with the legal counsel officially retained by the association; the legal Director cannot serve as association legal counsel during this term of Board of Directors office).
6. Director of Strategic Growth (the development of the association business plan).
7. Director of Press (in charge of all the publications of the association and the public relations with the members of the press).
8. Director of Marketing and Business Development (in charge of the marketing, promotional and business development activities of the association).
9. Director of Purchasing (in charge of the selection of suppliers to the association).

I am looking forward to receiving your nominations and/or candidacies as well as a brief biography of each candidate which must be sent via e-mail no later than September 25th. Thereafter, you will receive the next issue of our newsletter with brief biographies of all who have expressed an interest or have been nominated to serve our membership by standing for election for a Board of Directors position. Voting ballots will then be sent via e-mail to all of our members. Thank you once again for your support and remember: your vote is important to us!

Sincerely yours,

Konstantinos Mentzelopoulos
Director
E-mail: [email protected]

November 02, 2004 in Environmental Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Newsletter 3

The threat of hunting looms over Tilos

Megalo_horio_1
The twelve year old hunting ban on Tilos is in danger of being lifted. The ban has protected our endangered bird species identified by the European Union as being of special global importance. Renewed efforts by national hunting clubs and others to lift the hunting ban on our small (63 sq. km.) island were announced publicly on Friday August 27, 2004 by the new Secretary General of the Aegean Periphery, an appointee of the newly elected Greek government. Our Association delivered a written response to the Periphery office on Monday August 30 providing scientific and legal bases in support of the ban. Official hunting season begins in Greece on September 15, 2004.

On September 3, 2004, the Tilos City Council passed a resolution supporting the continuation of the existing hunting ban on the island and authorized Mayor Anastasios Aliferis, MD, to take all necessary actions to preserve the ban to protect our irreplaceable and endangered aviary wildlife.

The residents of Tilos who support the hunting ban are asking for your help. Please, consider sending an e-mail to the Secretary General of the Periphery of Southern Aegean in support of the continuation of the hunting ban on Tilos. The General Secretary’s e-mail address is: [email protected] .Please, consider joining our Association. Your membership support will add strength to our efforts and assist us in responding to the public opinion campaign that the hunting clubs have engaged to gain support for the lifting of the hunting ban on our island.

The Tilos Park Response

Motacilla_alba
On August 28, 2004, the Director of our Association was notified of the Periphery of Southern Aegean General Secretary’s decision to examine the issue of lifting the existing hunting ban on the island of Tilos. This information arrived together with the disturbing news heard on the radio that the five thousand members of the Dodecanese hunting clubs were preparing an “invasion” on the island in an effort to “punish” the Municipality for its “renegade” approach to hunting.

The very next business day after we were informed of the disturbing news, the following letter (written in Greek and English) was submitted via facsimile and by e-mail to the General Secretary of the Periphery of Southern Aegean with confirmation of its receipt and documented protocol.

August 30, 2004

Charalampos Kokkinos
Secretary General
Periphery of Southern Aegean
Eptanisou 35
GR-84100 Ermoupolis
E-mail: [email protected]

Dear Secretary General:

It has come to my attention as Acting Director of the Tilos Park Association, a non-profit Association, that the Office of the Southern Aegean Periphery is considering the issue of whether to lift the hunting ban on the portion of Tilos Island that is not included in the permanent Wildlife Refuge established by the Greek Ministry of Agriculture.

Since your recent appointment to the Office of the Aegean Periphery, on which I would like to extend my sincere congratulations, it is understandable that there has not been a sufficient amount of time for you to become familiar with the unique characteristics and circumstances of Tilos that distinguish it from the other islands in the Dodecanese island chain. It is, therefore, with respect that I would like to take this opportunity to acquaint your office with the recent developments concerning the laws of the European Union that govern Tilos as a Special Protection Area, a status which has already been conferred upon our island in its entirety and, most importantly, the economic viability of the island in the foreseeable future that is of great importance to us all.

European Union Laws

As you are undoubtedly aware, European Union Council Directive 79/409/EEC issued April 2, 1979 governs the actions taken by all of the Member States concerning the conservation of bird species living in the wild state in the European territory of the Member States. The Directive requires the protection, management and control of these species. The European Court of Justice has the judicial authority to interpret the provisions of the Directive. As a result, case law has been developing on the subject for the last twenty five years. It is well established that Greece, as a Member State, has an affirmative legal obligation to implement all of the provisions of the Directive [Commission vs. Belgium, Case No. 247/85, ECR 1987, page 3029, paragraph 6].

Pertinent parts of the Directive, relevant case law and advisory documents provided by the Commission of the European Union as herein collectively discussed are attached hereto as Addendum I for your convenience and referral.

Tilos Has Endangered Species Required By The EU To Be Protected

Based upon the extensive independent scientific documentation of the species of wild birds nesting, breeding and feeding throughout the island [see Life Natura LIFE04NAT/GR/00101 entitled “Tilos: Conservation Management of an Island Special Protection Area” hereinafter referred to as “Natura Study”] and the measures that need to be affirmatively taken in order to conserve such naturally occurring species on Tilos including species identified as endangered in the Directive and having international importance [see Natura Study], Greece is legally bound by the provisions of the Directive to act affirmatively to ensure the protection of these birds.

The Directive Identifies The Actions To Be Taken By Greece

Greece is required to protect the bird species governed by the Directive; conserve their habitat where they nest, breed and forage for food; and avoid significant disturbances to the birds that would endanger their lives or cause them to devote unnecessary energy to flight from danger rather than feeding and reproducing.

Your attention is invited to Article 4 of the Directive that provides the legal framework for our obligations. Our bird species “shall be the subject of special conservation measures concerning their habitat in order to ensure their survival and reproduction in their area of distribution” [Article 4, Section 1]. “In respect of the protection areas referred to in Section 1 … above, Member States shall take appropriate steps to avoid ANY significant disturbances affecting the birds regarding the objectives of this Article” [Article 4, Section 4].

Endangered Bird Species on Tilos Are Subject To Disturbances By Human Activity

Tilos is internationally recognized by the scientific community as being a “small island” of 63 square km [Natura Study, Section B, 2004-6/1]. The nesting and breeding sites of the endangered species targeted by the Natura Study and included in the Directive have been documented on an illustrated map of Tilos, a copy of which is available for your review. According to the map, the endangered bird of prey species as well as the birds on which they feed (such as the Chukar) are scattered throughout the island. Therefore, the introduction of a new human activity on the island, such as hunting, (previously unknown to the current generation of birds) would create a significant disturbance as such term of art has become developed by the European Court of Justice and the Commission of the European Union.

According to the Natura Study, 11/3 entitled “Threat 3”, page 15, “Nearly all threatened species present in the [Tilos] site are affected by human-induced and inappropriate pressures due to lack of awareness.” In the European Court of Justice Case No. C-435/92 [France], the Court interpreted the meaning of “disturbance” of wildlife and noted that disturbance is not limited to the depletion of the species. The term “disturbance” has been developed to include the concept that “disturbances caused by hunting force these birds to devote most of their energy to moving to other spots and to fleeing to the detriment of time spent feeding and resting.” [Guidance Document on Hunting Under Council Directive 79/409EEC on Conservation of Wild Birds, Article 2.6.15]

National, Regional and Local Greece Conservation Measures Included Hunting Ban

In reliance upon the affirmative obligations imposed upon Greece under the Directive to protect our bird species on Tilos and with the understanding that the international community has been monitoring our actions, the Ministry of Agriculture through its establishment of our Wild Refuge area on sixty percent of the island and the Office of the Southern Aegean Periphery through its Administrative Order banning hunting on the remaining forty percent, began the conservation measures required to be taken under the provisions of the Directive. These actions taken at the national and regional levels in concert with the continuous support of the Municipality of Tilos reflect the mandatory legal compliance required to be taken by Greece in order to avoid potential prosecution under the terms of the Directive.

Life Natura Project Investment Completes Greece’s Conservation Obligations

As of the date of this letter, Greece is in full compliance with the terms of the Directive by taking affirmative conservation measures to protect the island bird species listed in the Directive by committing to the implementation of the terms of a Life Natura Project on Tilos. This Natura program approved in 2004 by the Commission of the European Union provides Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Euros of investment capital to the island. The partnership consisting of the European Union, the Greek Ministry of Agriculture, the Municipality of Tilos and Oikos E.P.E. is currently in the process of building the infrastructure for the bird conservation as well as for the equally important ecotourism that is vital to the economy of the island. Lifting the hunting ban would directly conflict with and undermine the objectives of the Life Natura program as set forth in the Natura Study.

Reducing Protection Area By Lifting Hunting Ban Violates EU Case Law

Case No. C-57/89, Commission of the European Communities vs. The Federal Republic of Germany concerns the application of the habitat protection provisions of Article 4 of the Directive and directly relates to the subject of removing hunting ban restrictions on Tilos currently under consideration by your office. The Court stated “That interpretation of Article 4 Section 4 of the Directive is borne out by the ninth recital in the preamble which underlines the special importance which the Directive attaches to special conservation measures concerning the habitats of the birds listed in Annex I [of the Directive] in order to ensure their survival and reproduction in their areas of distribution. It follows that the power of Member States to reduce the extent of a special protection area can be justified ONLY on exceptional grounds.”

Thirty percent of Tilos’ resident bird species are listed in Annex I of the Directive and Tilos is already designated as a Special Protection Area with hunting ban restrictions imposed on the entire island for the last decade by the Greek governmental authorities. According to judicial precedent, ANY reduction of the special protection area already existing on Tilos by the introduction of hunting can only be justified on exceptional grounds which do not exist in the subject case of Tilos and may require accountability to the Commission of the European Union through questions posed by members of the European Parliament.

Allowing Hunting Violates Guidance Document on Hunting Under 79/409/EEC

Pursuant to Article 2, Section 4, Subsection 2 of the Guidance Document on Hunting Under Directive 79/409/EEC, “Article 7, Sections 1 and 4 of the Directive require the implementation of general principles that must be applied in relation to the practice of hunting. Member States MUST ensure that hunting … does not jeopardize conservation efforts in their [the birds’] area of distribution. This clearly implies that the practice of hunting must not represent a significant threat to efforts for the conservation of both huntable and non-huntable species. The national hunting regime should take into account this potential disturbing aspect of hunting.”

In consideration of the massive conservation efforts currently being undertaken by the Life Natura program on Tilos under the auspices of the Commission of the European Union, any introduction of hunting on this small island would present a significant disturbance to all of the wild bird species thus jeopardizing the conservation efforts and violating the provisions of the aforementioned documents.

Falco Eleonorae Reproduces During Hunting Season, Therefore Hunting Prohibited

The endangered resident bird of prey species entitled Falco eleonorae which nests and breeds on Tilos in the autumn, would be significantly disturbed by any introduction of hunting to this small island as evidenced by the location of its documented nesting sites identified on the illustrated map referred to above. The time period for reproduction as such term is used in the ornithological community includes the time required by young birds to attain the ability of flight. Therefore, the reproduction period incorporating nesting, egg hatching and flight learning activities occurs during and therefore conflicts with the hunting season which must therefore be disallowed on Tilos.

Relying Upon Compliance With EU Laws, Tilos Developed Ecotourism

As evidenced by the letter of support for maintaining the complete hunting ban that your office received from the President of the Tilos Hotel Association, the Tilos tourism industry has worked hard through significant promotional investment to develop ecotourism on the island. Ecotourism within the tourist industry embodies the concept of tourist attraction to sites of natural beauty and special protection allowing visitors to approach wildlife in its native habitat without fear or flight on the part of nature. Hunting incites universal fear of man in wildlife species threatened by such an incursion into their natural habitat. Tourists specifically seek nature tours of locations that have hunting bans so that they can get close to nature, photograph, observe and often paint the wildlife scenes on their holiday journeys.

It is with great pleasure that I can report to you our progress to date on the success of our ecotourism promotion. As a result of our comprehensive promotional efforts to ecotourism operators and the Tilos Municipality’s advertising investment (illustrations of which are available for your review), we are in the process of negotiating directly with international ecotourism operators including two large ecotourism operators in Scandinavia and Germany for 2005 bookings. “My travel” is the Scandinavian tour operator with more than one million clients per year, and their office has specifically developed an ecotourism department exclusively for such eco-holidays. Their office representatives have visited Tilos as the island’s guests and are preparing packages for Tilos as a holiday destination. The second operator is a German travel agency which has advised us of their present intention to introduce One Thousand Five Hundred (1,500) clients to Tilos in April 2005 representing approximately Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Euros (750,000 euros) of travel investment in our island, exclusive of restaurant and gift purchases that are customarily made by visitors.

The financial revenue to this island during the “off season” during which ecotourism thrives due to the favorable weather conditions for viewing and experiencing nature is of extreme critical importance to this small island whose economy is essentially predicated upon tourism. To fill hotel rooms and restaurants during the “off seasons” when our weather is accommodating, boat travel is viable, wildlife is abundant and diverse, and our residents desperately seek employment is an objective which the Municipality of Tilos, the Tilos Hotel Association, the Tilos Culture Association and the Tilos Park Foundation have been working hard to achieve for years.

According to the Natura Study, Section 11/3, “local people are aware of the general value of the site [Tilos], primarily due to the Municipality’s hunting restriction initiatives.” Such European Union recognition of the value of Tilos PRIMARILY due to the hunting ban is further evidence of the contribution that the hunting ban has made to the economy of the island which is currently proving in financial terms to be realized and significant through the employment and revenue benefits accruing through ecotourism.

Office of the Periphery Failure to Notify Citizens of Public Meeting Re: Hunting

I was disappointed to learn that your meeting with the Mayor of Tilos on Friday August 27, 2004 was represented to Dr. Aliferis in advance to be a private and informal meeting at your office when in actual fact the meeting consisted of a large partisan group including representatives of the Greek Hunting Clubs. The failure by your office to provide adequate public notice of a public meeting in a government office during regular business hours to discuss a subject of local, regional, national and European Union importance with legal, political and socio-economic significance is very disturbing. The failure of such public notice and the invitation extended by your office to Greek Hunting Club representatives resulting in the exclusion of other interested parties is inconsistent with the democratic principles upon which our nation operates. This occurrence should be alarming to those who learn of this unfortunate oversight by receipt of copies of this letter as set forth below.

Conclusion

For reasons set forth above, the Tilos Park Foundation opposes the termination of the hunting ban restrictions under consideration by your office and supports any legal, including injunctive, relief that may be undertaken to preserve the status quo on the island. Tilos has successfully made the transition to eco-tourism representing a significant financial contribution and revenue base for island employment. Tilos eco-tourism is now sufficiently advanced to provide a specific amount of money damages (representing evidentiary proof) that would be sustained in the event of loss of tour bookings should the hunting ban be lifted by the Office of the Aegean Periphery.

Should you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely yours,

Konstantinos A. Mentzelopoulos
Director

cc:

1. Jillian Evans, Member of the European Parliament, Committee on the Environment.
2. Dr. Anastasios Aliferis, Mayor, Tilos Municipality.
3. Michalis Kypreos, President, Tilos Hotel Association.
4. Xenofon Kappas, Director, Hellenic Ornithological Society
5. George Sfikas, President, Greek Society for the Protection of Nature.

We Need Your Help

Ophisops_elegans
Please, consider becoming a Member of the Tilos Park Association. Your membership will add strength to our voice in the preservation of the natural heritage of Tilos. To receive a membership application package, please respond to this e-mail by filling out and returning the following form to Tilos-Par[email protected] . Thank you for your consideration and your support.

First Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Last Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Are you 18 or older (Yes or No)? ………………………………………………………………….
Profession: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
City: ……………………………….......................................................................
Region/State: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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E-mail: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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November 02, 2004 in Environmental Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Newsletter 2

The Eagles of Tilos

Bonelli's Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus)

The Bonelli Eagle is a medium-large, powerful eagle with broad wings, which has been classified by the European Union as an endangered species with a breeding population numbering only 862-1072 breeding pairs. The global range of the Bonelli Eagle extends from the Iberian Peninsula and NW Africa across southern Europe, the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula through Afghanistan to India, south China and Indonesia. Tilos hosts three pairs of this wonderful bird of prey, which represent 30% of the Bonelli Eagle population in the Southern Aegean.

The Bonelli Eagle stick nest is usually located on rocky cliffs and over the years it can reach a huge size. Laying extends from early January to mid April but most clutches are laid between mid February and mid March. Normally two eggs are laid. Incubation is mainly by the females and lasts 37-40 days. The fledgling period is 61-77 days and the juveniles stay in the parental territory for 12-16 weeks before reaching independence. Breeding birds are sedentary but juveniles and immature ones may wander over large distances, and are frequently found on low altitude plains with high prey density which normally lack breeding pairs.

The Bonelli Eagle preys on medium-sized mammals and birds of a wide range of species. Rabbits and partridges are the preferred prey but it also preys on rodents, pigeons and lizards.

In an upcoming issue of our newsletter we will present to you the Golden Eagle.

Sparrow Song

According to a recent report in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of London", male sparrows that learned songs well when they were young are more successful at attracting mates than males that don't remember how to hit all the right notes. And the slackers can forget about trying to make up for their learning deficit with new and original songs. It turns out that female sparrows prefer songs that come closest to those they heard when they were chicks.

The study also suggests that song-learning abilities reflect a bird's nutritional history, which, in turn, affects its brain development. So the female sparrow's ear is discerning those time-honored, most faithfully rendered songs as a way of selecting the best-fit males for mating.

Faces of the Tilos Park

Anemone
The true wealth of any organization lies in the minds and hearts of those individuals whose efforts contribute to the achievement of its goals. This section of the newsletter will be devoted to acquainting you with people from around the world who are helping to make our dreams come true.

Last week Dr. Susan Hannon, a Founding Member of our Association, arrived in Tilos from Canada brimming with enthusiasm to explore the island and offer her assistance in this nascent stage of the park development.

Her stellar credentials reflect the quality and value of her gracious contribution of ideas which included a special focus on the character of the island’s indigenous aviary population and natural habitat. With a composite view of the interdependence of man and nature on this small island, their surprising ability to thrive and not just survive on Tilos due to the abundance of natural spring water, and the existence of essential components for a successful park, she drew from her global consulting experience in identifying important tasks to be completed for the creation of a Natural Park that will benefit, and not diminish, the quality of life for man as well as nature on Tilos.

One special feature of her approach to the protection of nature is her recognition of the importance of human culture including its pleasures and pastimes in the development of protected areas. Her view is to reasonably incorporate, rather than prohibit, previously existing lawful activities in a park setting that is in the midst of human habitat. Experience has shown that respect for human values and traditions in concert with the protection of nature against a backdrop of compromise and moderation for mutual benefit ensures the best chance of long term success for the park. It is with our deep appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Hannon that we are so pleased to share with our readers her valuable contributions to our island. We hope to see her again very soon.

Susan Hannon, PhD., is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, Director of the Meanook Biological Research Station, and a member of the NSERC advisory panel for CWS/University Research Chairs, American Ornithologists Union, WISEST Committee (Women in Science), International Ornithological Congress, Steering Committee of the Boreal Bird Centre, Scientific Advisory Committee of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Space Committee of the Biological Sciences Dept. of the University of Alberta, Animal Behavior Society, British Ecological Society, Canadian Nature Federation, Cooper Ornithological Society, Society of Canadian Ornithologists, Society for Conservation Biology and Ecological Society of America. Dr. Hannon has been awarded the Killam Annual Professorship, the McCalla Professorship, and the NSERC University of Alberta Research Fellowship.

We Need Your Help

Sylvia_melanocephala
Please, consider becoming a Member of the Tilos Park Association. Your membership will add strength to our voice in the preservation of the natural heritage of Tilos. To receive a membership application package, please respond to this e-mail by filling out and returning the following form. Thank you for your consideration and your support.

First Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Last Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Are you 18 or older (Yes or No)? ………………………………………………………………….
Profession: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
City: ……………………………….......................................................................
Region/State: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Postal Code: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Country: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
E-mail: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Telephone: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Fax: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

November 02, 2004 in Environmental Protection | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)