A Kickstarter Campaign aims to map Greece’s threatened olive groves.
A project to map Greek olive groves is seeking £11,350 on crowdfunding website Kickstarter. For the moment the project is limited to Crete, which has olive trees thought to be up to 2,000 years old.
"Every islands claims to have the oldest tree," says June Field, a
journalist and consultant who has been involved with campaigns to
protect Greek olive groves for the last ten years. "The oldest trees are
all over the country, but some places like Crete, Peloponnese and
Lesbos have a great many."
Olive groves are under threat from several directions. "The groves
are logged for about £28 per tree," says Field. Apart from being used
for heating, the old-timers are also exported. "Some are sold to Italy
to make pizza ovens, and to make toilet paper," she adds.
In the last five years, a German solar power company has been
encouraging people to clear groves to provide room for battery units,
according to Field.
The first step toward preserving the trees will be to produce a map
using drones and new mapping software. Local cartographers who have
already produced three maps of Crete will take on the project, if the
funding goal is met.
"I’ve been photographing the trees, rather than mapping them with
help from volunteers," says Field. Since the economic crisis, local
resources for conservation work has decreased.
"‘The plan is to unite local organisations that work in one village or
prefecture into a national organisation," says Field. There’s nothing
like a National Trust in Greece, but the Pan-Hellenic Cultural
Association is trying to take action on the issue.
Greece’s new government may also help the olive grove’s
cause. Elena Kountoura, Deputy Minister for Tourism, has pledged to
focus on ecotourism and sustainable tourism, according to Field, who
plans to meet the minister soon.
If the map is successful, the campaign will lobby to have Greece’s oldest olive trees declared national monuments.
Source : Geographical; by Tom Hart
Photo : Courtesy of Kickstarter Inc