Follow up on our Wetlands Petition
[news item September 2005]
The euphoria at the
success of the Petition on the wetlands must regretably be moderated in
the light of subsequent events. The companies and individuals who were
fined (http://www.greenlesbos.com/news/success.htm
), paid their fines but took no steps to restore the sites. In two cases
notices were put up forbidding tipping on the sites but these have had
little or no effect. Lack of action resulted in further fines being levied
but, on the instructions of the Nomarch, instead of increasing the fines,
they were halved. This obviously gives the wrong signal to the offenders,
implying that the authorities are losing their nerve. Now one of the
offenders, Vavoukli Brothers & Co. OE, which owns the meadow on the
north-east corner of the Kalloni salt-pans bordered by the salt-pan road
and the Mytilini-Kalloni road is taking the Nomarch to court and has
commissioned an environmental assessment of the site. We are searching our
archives for photographs that show how rich the site was before the
infilling. At one time it was rich in orchids and in more recent times,
when it has been very wet, it has held considerable numbers of wading
birds, notably black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa). If anyone has
photographs of the wildlife of the site please send us copies and we will
use them in arguing the case for its restoration.