International electronic protest for Schinias, Marathon

Participate in the international electronic protest against the construction of the Athens 2004 Olympic rowing & canoeing centre on Schinias (Marathon) coastal wetland and forest. In an attempt to promote a nature friendly character of the project, the Greek government is setting up a national park in the area.

4 Greek conservation organisations and a number of citizen's groups are campaigning against these plans.

You too, can support this campaign by sending the following message to Dr Jacques Rogge, President, European Olympic Committee

For more information, please visit the site of WWF International at: http://www.panda.org or contact the Hellenic Ornithological Society

Send the protest message

*Name: ()**
*Surname: ()**
E-mail:
	(*) the name and surname fields must be filled

The protest message:

Dear Dr Rogge.

We wish to draw your attention to the need to avoid environmental degradation from the inappropriate siting, construction and operation of the Athens 2004 Olympic facilities.

The case of Schinias, which the IOC has approved as the venue for the Olympic rowing, canoeing and slalom centre, worries us very much. Schinias is one of the most significant biodiversity havens of Attica, and hosts a variety of important habitats.

The area has suffered severe degradation in recent decades. The 2004 Olympics development plans threaten to cause irreversible damage to this sensitive site.

Furthermore, the decision of the Greek Government to declare the site a National Park, while at the same time proceed with such a large scale construction project, undermines the significance of a protected area for nature conservation and jeopardises the integrity of all future protected areas in Greece.

We feel that the worries of the IOC concerning the environmental profile of the Olympic Games, as expressed by the 3rd IOC World Conference on Sport and the Environment, will remain wishful thinking in the case of Athens unless the environmentally perilous siting of certain 2004 Olympics facilities is thoroughly re-examined.

We know that the IOC has often influenced organising committees in a variety of issues. We urge you to "green" the Olympic Games by extending your influence to issues pertaining to nature conservation and the quality of life and to ask the Greek Government to seek alternative venues for the Rowing & Canoeing Centre.

Yours sincerely.

[NAME]

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Hellenic Ornithological Society
Vas. Irakleiou 24, GR-10682, Athens, Greece Tel/Fax. +30 210 8227937, +30 210 8228704, e-mail: info@ornithologiki.gr
Kastritsiou 8, GR-54623, Thessaloniki, Greece Tel/ Fax: +30 2310 244245, e-mail: thess@ornithologiki.gr