Study site description: Nestos River Delta, Maggana, Greece

Table of Contents

1. Responsible partner
2. General information
3. Bio-physical description
4. Socio-economic description
5. Institutional and political setting
   1. International conventions
   2. National and local legislation
   3. Institutes and authorities
   4. Training
6. Relevant end-users / stakeholder groups
7. Past and on-going projects

International conventions

The study site area is enlisted in the Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, which is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The delimitation of the protected areas according to the above convention is described in the Official Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic OGG 854/?/16-9-96.

It is also enlisted in the Natura 2000 Program (May 1992) which adopts a legislation designed to protect Europe's natural resources. The legislation is called the Habitats Directive and it protects the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe.

The UN Convention for Combating Desertification was ratified the Greek Parliament on February 28, 1997 and has become a State Law. It provides for a development of a National Action Plan for combating the phenomenon in the country. The Treaty also includes a special annex for the Mediterranean countries (Annex IV).