For centuries they stood upright, facing the waves and winds of the ocean, and became bases for the reproduction of life and the development of human activity in difficult conditions. Today they are being taken on a desertification course through… European programs. The reason for the many islands Aegean Seasuffering from uncontrolled and subsidized grazing!

“What we are facing is a tragedy. We are destroying our own place by throwing centuries of experience into the trash,” says Thodoros Tsimpidis, director of the Institute for Marine Research of the Archipelagos, a few days after returning from another cycle of field research on the islands of the Aegean Sea with the research vessel Aegean Explorer. The study was conducted in the context of an interdisciplinary project on the conservation of the Aegean Islands, in which, together with the archipelagos, the John H. Daniels Department of Architecture, Landscape and Design of the University of Toronto participates.

In recent decades, (subsidized) sheep and goats have landed on many of the islands.. “Subsidy with a head. So some people took a lot of goats and then left the animals on the island. A cheap solution, as no fences or guards are needed. Zero maintenance. Some did not even bother to feed the goats, who began to eat everything that grew on the island. In some cases they give up even without water, and we find many dead. In one case, goats were left without food and water for five years because their owner died!” says Mr. Tsimpidis, head of the Aegean Conservation Program. There are no conditions and care for sustainable animal husbandry.

“Today, many islets are being destroyed, mainly due to overgrazing by uncontrolled animal husbandry. Some goat abandonment on the islets has led to decades of desertification,” explains Petros Babasikas, architect and director of the Architecture Program (HBA AS) at the University of Toronto. “Goats cut down everything, even roots, they also dig in the ground to find food. Nothing remains, they leave a barren place. The subsoil is necessary, because it is there that all the nutrients, all the material for the next stage are collected,” says Mr. Babasikas.

According to the Archipelagos, overgrazing is also leading to irreversible erosion of the islets. When the bushes that the goats feed on disappear, “the retention of night moisture (the so-called ayazi) also stops.. A few centimeters of the surface productive soil of the islets are eroded into the sea. What remains are rocks on which nothing else grows.”

“We have already recorded dozens of islets. Each of them is different from the other, each has an interesting story,” says the Greek architect. Degradation took place mainly in the last 30-40 years, since earlier there was a socio-economic life on the islets. “Techniques were developed to retain rainwater and moisture, some had trees, others had gardens to support the presence of people, while small agro-livestock farms were established that were part of networks to move their products to other islands. In addition, the islets provide a haven for wildlife such as migratory birds. Some had historical observatories. Each island is a small world,” says Mr. Babasikas.

Thodoris Tsimpidis lived in the Aegean for many years. He saw a lot. However, he never ceases to face situations that impress him. “Petrokaravo, north of Patmos, is a terrible landscape. The cliff is all around, except for the passage on the north side. How to tie a boat there? But there is a citadel up there and well-kept houses. How did they live there, on the rock? How did they get along with nature and save resources, and we want a supermarket nearby?”

Another islet under study is Anhydros, also to the north of Patmos, and the islets of Megali and Mykri Anthropophas near Furnos. “People lived here, we found buildings, they were farming, they had animals, they had pens, so they milked the animals, they must have been in good condition,” adds the director of the Archipelago. According to the researchers, cheese products, meat, grains, legumes (such as the famous dehydrated beans) and others were produced on the islands.

The next goal of the joint program is the creation of a research station on the island, which is engaged in the implementation of methods of restoration and combating desertification. The process will include, among other things, the refurbishment of old buildings using traditional methods and materials found on the islets, the replanting of native shrubs and low vegetation, and the cultivation of dry landraces (legumes, cereals).

“We are preparing to test the revival program on the islet that will be provided to us. We will apply traditional methods of water retention, restoration of structures with roofs made of clay, seaweed and cedar. It is also important to record local knowledge and traditional methods so that they are not lost along with the old masters,” explains Mr. Babasikas. The team will be multidisciplinary and will include foresters, landscape architects, anthropologists and representatives of other specialties.

We ask whether the trend of desertification has reversed. “Yes, but you have to start from very deep, from the deepest substrate, in order to redistribute the soil,” says the director of the Toronto Architectural Bureau.

As Mr. Tsimpidis points out, many islands in the Aegean are protected by Natura. “Environmental protection in Greece is completely inadequate. What are the agencies doing to stop the destruction of nature?” Is anyone listening?