Existing laws and policies for land and water resource management
The policies and laws are related to the UNCCD and to the European and national issues on land degradation and desertification. The following regulations, laws and actions have been undertaken in Greece including Crete:
Establishment of the Greek National Committee for Combating Desertification (GNCCD) in 1996. The Greek National Action plan provides the central coordination and monitoring of the Convention implementation is undertaken by GNCCD. It also provides that Local Committees for Combating Desertification should be created and function, according to NAP in each region and prefecture. The organization of these committees in collaboration with the focal point belonging to the Ministry of Rural Development and Food have been recently initiated.
Ratification of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification by virtue of Law 2468 published on March 6th, 1997.16. Following this, UNCCD predominates over any and all contrary provisions of national laws.
Compilation of the National Action Plan for Combating Desertification which was officially published in its final form in 2001 and was widely distributed to the state holders and to the related governmental, non-governmental and local governmental agencies.
Adaptation of GNAP in 2001 by the Ministers of Agriculture, Internal affairs, Foreign affairs, National Economy, Environment Physical Planning and Public Works. The decision No.99605/3719 was published in the Official Gazette on July 2001. According to paragraph 2 the services of the mentioned ministries are ordered to incorporate the GNAP measures proposed in their planning.
Establishment of a Central Water Authority in autumn 2005 aiming to a more rational management of the water resources at national level, covering both quantity and quality issues. It will be complemented by the Regional Water Directorates. This will be the national administrative mechanism for water policy and quality control as well as for the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive 2000/60.
Establishment of a working group responsible for issues related to the "Connection of Policy on Water and CAP" has been developed (Ministerial Decision 302912/7-11-2006) by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food to contribute to the task of the establishment of the water policy. Its main objective is the definition of measures for the directive's materialization. Ministerial Decisions published in autumn 2005 set out the categories of possible permissions for water use and the procedures needed to follow in each case.
In October 1999, following a long consultative and participatory process, an important step in national legislation was taken, which could play a major role in combating desertification in the long term. Law 2742/1999 "On Planning and Sustainable Development" was passed. This law aims at establishing fundamental principles, agencies, procedures and means of regional planning for forwarding sustainable and balanced development, strengthening production and social cohesion, and securing environmental protection in the national area.
Also, the Minister's decision no.100949/2478 established the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice. In this decision, a list of general obligations for farmers is included. There will be a Code for every relative sector of Agriculture. Up to now, the "Code of Good Practice for the Protection of Ground Water by Nitrogen Pollution of Agricultural Origin" by decision no.85167/820 has been published. The Ministries responsible for the management of the water resources have decided to co-ordinate their activities, as it is proposed in the NAP, by the creating a Central Coordination Body and to speed-up processes for the implementation of the E.U. Directive 2000/60 for the sustainable management of the water resources.
Codes of Good Agricultural Practice have been revised and updated through the 125347/20-1-2004 Common Ministerial Decision as amended by the 140920/25-11-2005 corresponding decision, to satisfy the current demands for environmental protection and assure the compatibility to the new Common Agricultural Policy. These codes interfere in a very wide spectrum of the agricultural and husbandry activities as well as to other specialized cases. Such cases are areas or zones subjected to special treatment policies. They include: plant coverage in soils with slope over 10%, strip rotation along contour lines (with legumes alternating with other annual crops), the minimum ploughing, the ploughing along contour lines in fields with slope over 10%, the alternating cultivated and fallow strips, the use of non soil eroding irrigation systems on sloping land, the reduction of grazing density, the prohibition of the burning of crop residues in soils with slope over 10% and the prohibition of deep ploughing more than 40 cm if there is no need for grubbing long root weeds or breaking a leak tight soil horizon. For example the subsidies to those exercising biological agriculture are given on the condition they apply the above measures.
