Konstantinos Mitsotakis’s final wish was to bring new life to the White Mountains of Crete.
Fulfilling this wish, the Konstantinos K. Mitsotakis Foundation undertook a major ecological initiative in the White Mountains, in collaboration with the country’s leading environmental organizations: the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, and WWF Greece.
The initiative, titled “The Konstantinos Mitsotakis Trail: A Model Environmental Project from the Cretan to the Libyan Sea through the White Mountains”, was presented during a press conference on December 5, 2017, at the Lecture Hall of the Archaeological Society of Athens.
The Foundation’s initiative included three key projects in the mountainous area of Western Crete: the creation of a network of hiking trails, the establishment of a botanical garden of medicinal and aromatic plants, and a model ecological restoration project in a selected area of the White Mountains.
A study for the creation of a 58-kilometre network of hiking trails in the White Mountains was carried out by the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage.
The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature undertook the study and development of a Botanical Garden, implemented in collaboration with the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (Iera Moni Metamorfoseos tou Sotiros), on land kindly granted by the Sisterhood of Chrysopigi.
The aim is both the protection and promotion of the medicinal and aromatic plants of Crete, and the operation of the Botanical Garden as an educational space for visitors and school students.
The third component focused on the design of a model ecological restoration project in an area of the White Mountains, in collaboration with WWF Greece. The goal of this initiative was to explore ways of ensuring a healthy and resilient ecosystem, capable of withstanding the threats posed by human activity and climate change.
Within this framework, a series of pilot actions were developed, including the establishment of fire protection measures, grazing management, the creation of rest areas for visitors, and the training of local stakeholders.