Assessment of coastal vulnerability to marine flooding in selected sites of Crete and the Southern Peloponnese

OIKOM Ltd and the Coastal and Marine Research Laboratory of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) are implementing the project titled “Assessment of coastal vulnerability to marine flooding in selected sites of Crete and the Southern Peloponnese”, within the framework of a contract commissioned by the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA).

The project focuses on monitoring shoreline evolution and assessing the vulnerability of the study areas, taking into consideration critical ecological and environmental parameters and criteria. It also aims to identify highly vulnerable areas exhibiting the highest erosion rates and to formulate management guidelines in the form of measures, actions and interventions, based on the site-specific biotic and abiotic conditions, thereby strengthening coastal resilience and ensuring the protection and conservation of coastal protected areas under future climate change scenarios.

The project focuses on six selected coastal areas in Crete and the Peloponnese, which fall under the responsibility of three Management Units of the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA): Management Unit of Samaria National Park and the Protected Areas of Western Crete; the Management Unit of Eastern Crete Protected Areas; and the Management Unit of Strofylia Wetlands National Park and Protected Areas of Western Peloponnese. Specifically, the areas include:

1. A coastline of approximately 12 km within the SAC (Special Area of Conservation)/ GR4330004 “PRASSANO FARANGI – PATSOS – SFAKORYAKO REMA – PARALIA RETHYMNOU KAI EKVOLI GEROPOTAMOU, AKR. LIANOS KAVOS – PERIVOLIA”.
2. A coastline of approximately 8 km within the SPA/ GR4310012 “EKVOLI GEROPOTAMOU MESARAS” and the SAC/ GR4310004 “DYTIKA ASTEROUSIA (APO AGIOFARANGO EOS KOKKINO PYRGO)”.
3. A coastline of approximately 1 km within the SAC/ GR4320003 “NISOS CHRYSI”.
4. A coastline of approximately 1.5 km within the SAC/ GR4320006 “VOREIOANATOLIKO AKRO KRITIS: DIONYSADES, ELASA KAI CHERSONISOS SIDERO (AKRA MAVRO MOURI – VAI – AKRA PLAKAS) KAI THALASSIA ZONI”, and within the SPA/ GR4320009 “VOREIOANATOLIKO AKRO KRITIS”.
5. Coastal stretches with a total length of approximately 14 km within the SAC/ GR2550003 “NISOI SAPIENTZA KAI SCHIZA, AKROTIRIO AKRITAS”.
6. Coastal stretches with a total length of approximately 16 km within the SAC/ GR2550004 “LIMNOTHALASSA PYLOU (DIVARI) KAI NISOS SFAKTIRIA, AGIOS DIMITRIOS” and the SPA/ GR2550008 “LIMNOTHALASSA GIALOVAS KAI NISOS SFAKTIRIA”.

The project has a total duration of 24 months and is expected to be completed by March 2026.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Environment and Energy through the Operational Programme “Transport Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development”.