Schinias-Marathon National Park ( Greek: Εθνικό Πάρκο Σχινιά Μαραθώνα ) is a Greek national park located in Attica 40 km northeast of Athens on the Marathon Plain. This is Attica's largest ecosystem with a swampy coast, of exceptional interest as a landscape based on the delicate balance of water. The area of the park is 13.84 km² taking into account the marine territory, it includes a pine forest, a large swamp, a peninsula and a swampy coast (previously there was the US Navy base Kato-Suli, active until the 1990s).
| Schinias Marathon National Park | |
|---|---|
| Greek Εθνικό Πάρκο Σχινιά Μαραθώνα | |
 Cranes in Schinias Marathon Park | |
| IUCN Category IV (Species or Habitat Management Territory) | |
| basic information | |
| Square | 13.84 |
| Established | year 2000 |
| Location | |
| A country |
|
| Nearest town | Marathon |
npschiniasmarathon.gr | |
The national park has great natural and economic significance: every year tourists come here, relaxing on the coast and doing swimming, as well as watching birds and landscape. Historically, the park is connected with the city of Marathon, which once held the famous battle of the Greco-Persian wars . There is now a swamp on the battlefield [1] . The park belongs to parks of category IV according to IUCN , is included in the territory of the marathon.
Structure
In 2000, the President of Greece issued decree 22-6 / 3-7-2007 on the inclusion of the coastal zone and the land of Schinia in the National Park, as well as on the division of the park into the following territories:
- Zone Α1. Wetland Conservation Area
- Zone Α2. The hilly region of the Kunosojras Peninsula - Mount Draconeras (conservation area)
- Zone Α3. Aleppo Pine Forest Zone (Conservation Area)
- Zone Α4. Makarias Spring Zone (Conservation Area)
- Zone Α5. Sea zone of the Marathon Bay
- Zone Β1. Environmental Education Zone
- Zone Β2. Recreational and tourist area
- Zone Β3. A place for swimming in the bay
- Zone C. Controlled area for farming.
Law No. 3044/2002 established the Institute for Management of the Schinias-Marathon National Park.
Park issues
- Forests are constantly threatened by fires due to the composition of vegetation. In 2004, an automatic fire system was installed, but it does not function [2] . Cases of poaching are also recorded [2] .
- The impact of tourists in areas A3 and B3 is often a violation of the law in the park. So, in the region there is a small residential complex, which was closed after the formation of the national park, the owners of land were outraged by such actions. Also recorded cases of unauthorized construction [2] .
- In anticipation of the 2004 Olympics, the Olympic center for canoeing and kayaking was specially taken from the park, which led to the drainage of the swamp for a long time [3] .
Notes
- ↑ Schinias-Marathon National Park
- ↑ 1 2 3 Dimitrios Papadimoulis. Interrogazione scritta alla Commissione europea (ital.) . European Parliament (20 aprile 2005).
- ↑ Wallström. Risposta data dalla sig.ra Wallström a nome della Commissione (Italian) . European Parliament (23 settembre 2002).