The special environmental study for 22 Natura 2000 sites in the Ionian Islands, from Othonoi to the Strofades, was approved on 27 October 2026, Greece’s environment ministry announced. It is the last study needed before a draft decree for an Ionian national marine park.
Special Environmental Study (Eidiki Perivallontiki Meleti, EPM) 5A was approved after public consultation, according to the Ministry of Environment and Energy. The approval decision is posted on Diavgeia, the government’s transparency portal.
The study area covers 22 Natura 2000 sites in the Region of the Ionian Islands. The ministry names Othonoi, Mathraki, Erikousa, Corfu, Paxos and Antipaxos, Lefkada, Skorpios, Meganisi, Kalamos, Kastos, Arkoudi, Atokos, Vromonas, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, the Strofades and smaller Ionian islets.
For the planned National Marine Park of the Ionian, the study covers the remaining land areas: parts of Zakynthos and the islands and islets of the inner Ionian archipelago that are already in Natura 2000. Earlier studies covered the park’s marine area and its other land sections.
The ministry says the study sets protection zones, the land uses and activities allowed in them, and management measures. Its release does not list specific building limits by island. With this approval, 77.5% of Greece’s total Natura 2000 area is now covered by approved studies.
The study is approved, but the park is not yet established. The ministry says it will be established by a Presidential Decree, which is now being prepared.
What it means for buyers
The zones and permitted land uses set by the study apply to land inside the 22 Natura 2000 sites on the listed islands. Whether a plot lies inside one of these sites, and in which zone, bears on the land uses allowed there. The park’s rules will be fixed only once the Presidential Decree is issued. Buyers should confirm how this applies to them with a Greek lawyer or accountant.
Our Kefalonia property guide covers other rules that apply on one of the islands named.
What happens next
The ministry is now preparing the draft Presidential Decree for the Ionian park and has not given a date. For the southern Cyclades park, the draft decree has already been sent to the Council of State, Greece’s top administrative court.
