December 12 2024

6.5 years of targeted bureaucratic obstructions have delayed the implementation of this vital endeavour. 

A groundbreaking initiative in the Mediterranean, a Rehabilitation Centre for Marine Species, is currently under construction on the Aegean island of Lipsi. This center is also set to become a model sanctuary for rehabilitating former captive dolphins. The licensing process began in 2018 following the completion of the basic construction. However, progress has since been hindered by persistent and targeted bureaucratic obstacles, delaying the completion of this crucial project.

Greece is home to some of the most important remaining populations of protected marine species in Europe. To address significant gaps in the country’s rehabilitation infrastructure, this new center is being constructed without any public funds. The facility is located on the public land specifically granted for this purpose by the Ministry of the Environment, with the support of the Lipsi municipality. However, its completion is being obstructed for the past 6.5 years by conflicting interests.

For decades, some opposing parties have claimed to protect marine species while, in reality, they have exploited marine animals for financial gain (see European dolphinaria). It has to be noted that Archipelagos has intentionally distanced itself from such exploitative practices since its inception.

The 800m² facility that will serve the Marine Species Rehabilitation Center and the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary is designed with exemplary sustainable practices to minimize its environmental impact. The building already operates with a self-sufficient energy supply, relying only on renewable energy sources. It also features an autonomous water supply system powered by a low-energy, small-scale desalination unit, a biomass heating system, and a sustainable water management and treatment system. It has been recognized by numerous international organisations as a model of sustainable operation.

History – a summary of the targeted bureaucratic obstruction:

• The effort to obstruct the project began years ago abroad, initiated by a Spanish MEP in the EU Parliament, representing third-party interests (possibly dolphinaria-an industry profiting from dolphin exploitation with a global turnover of billions). The MEP expressed “concern” over why such a project should take place in the Aegean. Curiously, similar questions have since been echoed by certain officials from Greece’s Ministry of the Environment who are involved in the licensing process, questioning the need for rehabilitation center in the region. This need should be self-evident in a country with significant populations of protected marine species, yet lacking even a single rehabilitation center that meets basic internationally accepted standards. In fact, several such centers should already have been created across Greece to address this critical gap.
• Another delay was initiated by a Greek person who is affiliated with the Austrian Green Party — which was then in a coalition with the far-right—attempted to obstruct the construction of the rehabilitation center by leveraging her official position.
• Numerous complaints emanating from the center of Athens, with unidentified sources, were used to their full advantage by certain officials within the Ministry of the Environment to further delay the process, despite lacking any substantive basis.

It is important to note that the persistent bureaucratic obstruction is primarily driven by certain officials and associates within the Ministry of Environment. Their excessive zeal in delaying the licensing of the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center and Dolphin Sanctuary on the island of Lipsi raises serious questions. Remarkably, despite 6.5 years and five consecutive requests since 2018 to establish the Rehabilitation Center, the first written response from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources was issued six years after the initial request and 112 days after the fifth request, while it took 72 days to receive a brief response from the Advisory Committee on this matter.

The laboratories of the Rehabilitation Center under construction in Lipsi, which will house the veterinary clinic and the general laboratory.

• The above cannot be explained even under the pretext of usual bureaucracy, especially considering that the same committee granted a license through expedited procedures (within a few weeks) for the operation of the so-called National Rehabilitation Center for the Mediterranean Monks Seal within the zoo of Athens. This center operates under conditions and infrastructure that are unacceptable, inadequate, and dangerous for the welfare of the animals. It is housed in two container units next to runoff from enclosures of captive animals from various parts of the world, as well as next to confined marine mammals (seals and dolphins). Seals are transported there for treatment, often traveling for many hours in ship garages or trucks, usually unescorted, violating all transport protocols, just as protocols for treatment and release are also being violated.
• It is also reasonable to raise many questions about this process, given that the chairperson and member of the committee appointed by the Ministry of Environment for the Rehabilitation Centers has been a long-time partner of the Delphinarium. She has even received funding from the Ministry of Environment’s Green Fund for joint actions with the zoo. At the same time, she is the veterinarian responsible for the unsuitable Monk Seal Rehabilitation Center operating within the dolphinarium, which was licensed by the very committee of which she is both a member and the president. Furthermore, she is also the president of an NGO that lacks any proper facilities or infrastructure, yet this organization has been repeatedly funded by the Ministry of Environment for controversial actions related to the rehabilitation of marine mammals, in a country where no cetacean has ever been rescued. Many other similar instances cannot fit into this paragraph.

The two container units that were licensed through expedited procedures as a Panhellenic Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal, within the zoo.

• Why, then, do all these people fiercely oppose the creation of a Marine Species Rehabilitation Center and Dolphin Sanctuary in the Aegean? Certain groups, with a deep-rooted mindset of “exploiting” wildlife, have maintained close relations with Ministry of Environment employees since the 1990s. These employees seem to consider themselves untouchable, in relation to their political superiors who come and go – as they themselves say – while operating for decades without ever being subjected to any real evaluation. The result is millions of public funds have been distributed for emblematic protected marine species in Greece, without any substantial (not just accounting) audit of the management of these funds, which were ultimately never used for the actual protection of rare species. The outcome of all this is that no marine species are protected in Greece, nor is there any proper rehabilitative care for them.
• It should be noted that in order to provide the best possible outcome in the care of marine animals, the operation of the Rehabilitation Center and Dolphin Sanctuary in Lipsi is based on an international committee that has been established for this purpose. This committee is supported by four international organizations and six of the most recognized scientists, with many years of experience and expertise in the care and welfare of marine species. Unfortunately, however, it seems that the presence of individuals with international experience creates significant insecurity among those involved in Greece, as the major gaps in the rehabilitative care of marine mammals and the criminal response to many stranding incidents over decades will now become evident. The sole purpose of all those working to establish this Rehabilitation Center in the Aegean is nothing less than to push for a new chapter in Greece regarding the care of marine species—something that, of course, requires the sincere cooperation of all. The ultimate goal is also to encourage the development of similar initiatives throughout Greece and the Mediterranean.

In conclusion

After 6.5 years of targeted bureaucratic obstruction of this much-needed project, the ultimate victims are the marine species, which for decades continue to be deprived of any care in Greece.

Indicative of the situation that has persisted for so many years is one of the few incidents that became known in the media: the case of the Cuvier’s beaked whale that standed on the coast of Attica in the winter of 2022. For the first time, we all witnessed on camera a ridiculous “care” spectacle, which began with medication that would not suffice even for a pet and ended with songs being sung to the sick whale as a method of offering psychological support. This was followed by the reintroduction of the sick, rare whale into the open sea, which was initially described as a release after successful treatment, only for it to be found dead a few days later—just as expected. However, dozens or even hundreds of other cases of marine mammals that did not receive the same media attention had similar ending. These cases are, of course, known abroad as examples of practices to be avoided, and once again, the actions of a certain group of people insult us as residents of this country.

This innovative rehabilitation center and future model dolphin sanctuary in the Aegean has not only attracted the interest of international organizations and prominent figures, but also that of major international media from Europe, the USA, Latin America, and even Asia, with dedicated features.

However, unable to convey to all of them the absurd and shameful Greek reality, and the interconnections of all the above, along with the official statements from politicians at the Ministry of the Environment regarding the swift completion of the project (always following legal procedures), we deliberately delayed publicizing the issue, as well as responding to the persistent and reasonable questions of all interested parties, especially from the international press. This delay in publicity proved to be a mistake from our side, personally exposing those responsible for this project.

This, in addition to any obvious legal measures, the only way forward is now full disclosure and transparency regarding the parties involved and the indescribable procedures, with the sole aim of ensuring the welfare of marine species in need of care. This odyssey is not a personal matter but concerns all those with an institutional obligation to care for and ensure the welfare of animals, as well as the organizations and individuals who are genuinely committed to opening a new chapter in Greece regarding the care of marine species.

For the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Thodoris Tsimpidis, t.tsimpidis@archipelago.gr