Environmental groups call for probe into alleged illegal logging on Greece-Bulgaria border

The joint statement was issued by the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace, the Prespa Protection Society and Kallisto. The organizations said recent reports have raised serious concerns about logging activities that may have exceeded the limits and purposes for which they were originally approved.

Allegations of unauthorized logging

According to information cited by the organizations, logging operations carried out in recent years as part of the management of the border zone may have gone significantly beyond their authorized scope.

The allegations include logging beyond approved limits, unauthorized construction of forest roads, cutting outside designated work zones and a lack of transparency regarding contracts, supervision and the management of timber produced through the operations.

The organizations said official documents and inspections by forestry authorities have already recorded some of the alleged violations.

Concerns over protected forest ecosystems

Environmental groups have expressed particular concern because the activities are taking place in forests of significant ecological importance.

In Drama regional unit, several important Natura 2000 sites and areas within the Rhodope Mountain National Park are located along the border zone. These include Frakto Forest, Rhodope Birch, Elatia, Koutros Pyramid, the peaks of Mount Orvilos and Mount Haidou-Koula.

The organizations said some of these forests, including spruce and Scots pine ecosystems, have already been affected by logging beyond the approved limits.

In the Evros regional unit, logging has reportedly affected lowland broadleaf forests around Pentalofos, described by the organizations as unique natural forests in the Orestiada area.

The groups also warned that any further expansion of the operations could threaten the Special Protection Area “Mountain Evros – Derio Valley,” which contains mature oak forests and an important population of diurnal birds of prey.

Questions over oversight and transparency

The environmental organizations said it remains unclear which legal framework governs forest management within the Security Zone of Forward Cover and which authorities are responsible for environmental oversight.

They also raised concerns over reports that forestry authorities were not given access to contracts for the works by services of the Ministry of National Defence.

The organizations stressed that environmental protection rules should continue to apply in border areas and argued that national security should not be used as grounds for exemptions from environmental legislation or restrictions on the oversight powers of competent authorities.

Environmental groups demand government action

The three organizations called on the Ministry of Environment and Energy to:

- Immediately investigate all allegations concerning logging operations in the border zone.
- Publish the findings of inspections conducted by forestry and environmental authorities.
- Clarify the legal framework governing logging within the Security Zone of Forward Cover and the responsibilities of each authority involved.
- Ensure that all activities in border areas fully comply with forestry and environmental legislation.
- Establish responsibility for any violations identified and take the necessary measures to restore environmental damage.

The organizations said protecting Greece’s forest ecosystems and enforcing environmental legislation are non-negotiable obligations of the state, including in the country’s border regions.