Fotoessa is pleased to announce the launch of the “Guardians of the Coasts” project, Erasmus+ KA210-ADU Adult Education & Capacity Building, which, in cooperation with Associação Aequalitas, unites Greece and Portugal in a common effort for:
- training and raising citizens' awareness of the protection of the coastal environment and of everyone's right to free, public and sustainable spaces
- highlighting alternative approaches and realistic solutions, focusing on participatory decision-making, transparency and the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems
- ensuring equal access to the sea for all.
The Challenge
For years, Greek society has been facing a critical and ever-intensifying issue concerning free access to the coasts and citizens' right to the sea. This right is explicitly enshrined in the Constitution of Greece and in the legal framework in force for the foreshore and the beach, according to which the coasts are a public good for common use.
Despite this institutional protection, the reality on the ground often deviates significantly from what the law provides. The pressure exerted by mass tourism, large tourism investments, private business activity and the commercialisation of coastal space has led, in many cases, to the restriction or even the indirect abolition of citizens' free access to the sea. Phenomena such as the arbitrary occupation of beaches, the extensive placement of leisure equipment, the fencing off or blocking of access points, as well as the tolerance or inaction of the competent enforcement authorities, have become almost the norm in many parts of the country. The conflict between the public interest and the private exploitation of coastal space has provoked strong public reactions.
What is at Stake
In recent years, citizens' movements, local collectives and initiatives have emerged throughout Greece, calling for the protection of the coasts as a common good and for the enforcement of the law. Protests, legal appeals and public interventions are bringing to the fore the need for effective oversight, transparency and citizen participation in decisions concerning coastal space. The debate has intensified particularly in recent years due to legislative changes, proposals to concession beaches, major development projects and investments in coastal areas. The issue is not only whether the law is respected; it touches on deeper questions about the development model the country chooses, how the public interest is defined, and which natural and social goods are considered negotiable in the name of economic growth.
The Program
The initiatives and actions of the “Guardians of the Coasts” programme will serve as a tool for informing, raising awareness among and empowering civil society. Their aim is to strengthen public debate, influence policy choices and support citizens' collective effort to defend a fundamental constitutional right: everyone's right to free access to the sea and the coasts.
The “Guardians of the Coasts” programme is a dynamic, multidimensional effort that will include:
- Research on the legal framework and on best practices for the protection and management of coasts
- Skills development and training of citizens in rights advocacy and sustainable development
- Exchange of innovative practices between Greece and Portugal
- Dialogue on overtourism, public space, environmental protection and sustainable coastal management
Actions within the programme:
- Workshops on citizen training, intergenerational communication, cultural animation and social empowerment
- Awareness-raising and information campaigns and actions by scientists and experts
- Educational material and digital tools
- Updates on joint Greece–Portugal actions
Our coasts are not just natural beauty. They are living ecosystems, cultural capital and a shared social good. Safeguarding them from the dangers they face concerns not only the present but also the future: how we imagine them in twenty years, which natural landscapes we want to preserve, and what relationship we want the next generations to have with the marine and coastal environment.
The “Guardians of the Coasts” programme invites citizens, volunteers, activists, educators, scientists, entrepreneurs and local community bodies to take part in a transnational effort of cooperation, solidarity and respect for our common natural good: our coasts.
Become a “Guardian of the Coasts” today!
A common good. A common responsibility. A common future.
