- (Reuters) -- Greece's endangered turtles are among the
first losers at this year's Olympics as funding cuts have left nesting
beaches at the mercy of uncontrolled tourism, say environmental groups.
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- The withdrawal of state funding to a marine park set
aside for the turtles has left international volunteers in a pitch battle
with tourism operators, conservationists said.
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- Staff at the National Marine Park on the island of Zakynthos
stopped work in May after going unpaid for nine months.
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- Greece hosts the largest nesting population of the endangered
Mediterranean loggerhead turtles whose hatching cycle coincides with the
tourism season, and this year with the August Athens Olympics.
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- "This is one of the worst ecological scandals in
the European Union," said Lilli Venizelos from turtle conservation
group Medasset.
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- "The locals can see the state doesn't give a damn
so they've taken the law into their own hands."
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- Five beaches were protected by the park in Laganas Bay
on the southern tip of the island. One of the beaches has 13 illegal buildings
that authorities have failed to demolish.
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- Activists have reported speed boat races in the harbour
and tourists swarming onto the beaches.
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- The WWF called on Greece to stop a tourist "free
for all" from destroying crucial habitats.
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- Dimitris Dimopoulos from Achelon, a sea turtle protection
society, said the government was blaming the crisis on preparations for
the August Olympics.
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- "Things are out of control and the official excuse
we keep hearing is, 'sorry guys we are a new government and we have the
Olympics right now'," Dimopoulos said.
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- Loggerhead females start coming ashore to lay eggs by
the end of May and finish nesting by the end of July so hatching begins
during the peak tourist season.
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- ©2004 ABC http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1144558.htm
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