Financing for the protection and development of forests and the forest environment in Greece

¹ School of Applied Arts and Sustainable Design, Hellenic Open University, 26335, Patras, Greece
² Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, School of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace, 68200, Orestiada, Greece

^* Corresponding author: garamp@fmenr.duth.gr

Abstract

This paper investigates the contribution of Greek forestry financing to the conservation, protection and restoration of the country’s forest ecosystems and the utilization of available financial resources in the formulation of forestry policy. The structure of national financial resources in the forestry sector and their allocation to the country’s forestry services for the implementation of corresponding projects are examined. Particular emphasis is placed on the financing of the country’s forestry services from national resources of the Public Investment Program. The data are processed with the hierarchical grouping method of multivariate statistics in combination with descriptive statistics. The allocations of funding and their respective absorptions are analysed by clusters. The identification of clusters contributes to the creation of a clearer perception of the problems of the mountainous area and to the assessment of the possibilities of its more rational development, creating the conditions for the selection of alternative solutions. This typological survey of forestry financing is considered important in the context of the effort to correctly capture the needs and possibilities of exploiting financial resources, as well as for the accurate planning and programming of actions in the field of forestry per regional unit.