Nature Conservation in a Time of Crisis
This letter was written by Demetres Karavellas, CEO of WWF Greece, in response to the successful campaign against a controversial bill that would have caused the degradation of forests and landscapes in Greece. His reflections demonstrate how human creativity, social media and windows of political opportunity can be leveraged to galvanize public support for advocacy efforts.
I am often asked, “what chance does nature conservation stand in Greece”? After all, it’s a country that seems to systematically dominate the world headlines for its economic and political crisis and not its track record in nature conservation. Surely people and politicians are swamped by other priorities.
Not always so…
A few weeks ago, a new draft bill was proposed in Greek Parliament that would deal a major blow to forests — if this bill would pass it would effectively legalize housing which had illegally been built on forest land and at the same time create a legal precedent with massive ramifications for terrestrial ecosystems with over 20% of indigenous flora species in Greece being endemic. Only 48 hours later, after a successful WWF Greece campaign that raised public outrage, the Environment Minister retraced his steps and changed the bill.
So what happened? How was it possible for us to convince politicians and draw public attention to a legal ‘detail’ concerning the future of forests, in a setting dominated by austerity measures, unemployment, collapsing pension schemes, etc.? Part of the answer lies in how we have organized ourselves and adapted to best respond to the lasting crisis in Greece and its environmental implications. Over the years, we have developed an in-house legal “machinery” with amazing reflexes, able to analyze the trickiest legislation and identify the threats. At the same time, we are breaking down complex issues into simple, clear messages that relate to people’s lives.
This is how it worked:
Advance warning
We have already cultivated our relations with various ministries, MPs, forest authorities, etc. We had received notice and a leaked version of the bill, from “whistleblowers” who opposed the bill.
Documented critique
Over the years we have organized a volunteer expert legal team, coordinated by our policy staff. This team has handled over 750 legal cases to date. The team analyzed the bill with lighting speed, sending a detailed legal critique to all members of parliament within less than 24 hours. Meetings were also held with key MPs during the same 24 hr period.
Reaching out
At the same time, our communications team hit social media with a single, powerful Facebook post that became viral, reaching 400.000 people. The media picked up the story, we provided more background information and covered interviews, while at the same time angry citizens were already calling and writing to MPs, asking them to vote against the bill.
And it worked! This is the third time in two years that we have been able to win a major political win for the environment, always in a dire climate of looming elections, constant crisis and policies that concern people’s jobs and lives.
So does this public interest in nature conservation come in spite of the dreadful economic conditions that are affecting the people of Greece or is it actually triggered by this situation? “Our natural environment is the only thing we have left, and we can’t let it go to waste too”, was just one of the hundreds of messages of outrage and support we received through this effort.
Adaptiveness, flexibility, solid policy work, strong communications, relevance to society, a great team of talented, committed people — these are a few of the ingredients of success we need to maintain and further develop.
In the weeks to come, you will hear more from us about how we aim to turn the debt problem of Greece into a solution for conservation and sustainability. Stay tuned!
Best,
Demetres Karavellas, WWF Greece
For more information about this campaign or to learn more about the efforts of WWF Greece, contact Demetres at d.karavellas@wwf.gr.
