KIPA participated on Monday, March 9, in the seminar “Stone Check Dams in Ephemeral Island Streams: From Tradition to Institutional Support for Climate Resilience”, which was co-organized at the Eugenides Foundation by MedINA and the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy.
Kythera played a central thematic role during the seminar, both regarding the restoration of the traditional small check dams in Karavas, a project carried out by KIPA in collaboration with MedINA in 2020, as well as the completion of the broader check dam program implemented on the island as anti-erosion and flood-prevention measures following the wildfires of the past summer, based on a study by the Forestry Service and implemented by the company ZITAKAT.
According to the Director General of Forests and Forest Environment of the General Secretariat of Forests of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Mr. Evangelos Gkountoufas, a total of 291 stone check dams were constructed across 8,730 meters of streams (approximately every 30 meters), while traditional dry-stone walls were restored along one kilometer in selected locations.
Specifically, interventions were carried out in the areas of Pitsinades – Perlegkianika, Mylopotamos, Rizes – Kato Chora, as well as in the streams leading to Limnaria and to the Holy Monastery of Myrtidiotissa.
In total, the works included the construction of:
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331 stone check dams
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30 log barriers
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105 square meters of wooden structures
“The project provides immediate protection against soil erosion… with expected benefits including the replenishment of groundwater reserves, the strengthening of local ecosystems, the acceleration of natural regeneration, and the retention of sediment in order to protect settlements and coastal zones.”
It is expected that this seminar will lead to the institutional recognition of the traditional practice of dry-stone check dams, paving the way for its wider implementation across the islands of Greece.
In light of these developments, we are particularly proud of our productive collaboration with MedINA and of the joint work carried out by institutions and volunteers who participated in the Karavas check dam project—a partnership that placed our island at the forefront of innovation and led to the first major soft-intervention restoration project in Kythera following the wildfires.
We will continue with the same vision and collaborative spirit in the remaining initiatives we are planning for gentle ecological restoration and wildfire prevention on the island.
Watch the event here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA33HwM2uUg
