Greece parnassus
Parnassus, one of the mythical mountains of Greece and home to the Temple of Delphi, the greatest of ancient Greek oracles, has been hosting an illegally built ski resort for at least three decades. In 1938, Parnassus was legally designated a National Park, one of Greece’s first protected areas together with Mount Olympus.
The area is also included in the EU’s Natura 2000 network as Site of Community Importance (Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC) and as Special Protection Area (Birds Directive 79/409/EEC). The legalisation of the ski resort facilities was included in the draft law for the transposition of Community waste directives.
Although it is absolutely reasonable that the ski centre should at some point be legalized and adapt to the requirements of the relevant conservation legislation, a law that was recently passed allows the ski centre to expand in an additional area of 700 hectares in the alpine zone.
As soon as the draft law was submitted in Parliament, WWF Greece analysed the legal context and sent an urgent letter to all 300 Members of Parliament, asking them not to vote for the expansion of the ski resort. Unfortunately, the draft law was finally voted in early February 2012.