In 2014 the Greek Ministry of Culture set up a Working Group with members from the Corinth Archaeological Ephorate, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (ASCSA) and the Ministry to work on a plan for the sustainable management of the natural and cultural heritage of Ancient Corinth and its surrounding area. MedINA is jointly working with the lead partner, TPA, which was commissioned by ASCSA for leading the plan development and for providing expert consultation to the Working Group.
The creation of the Management Plan consists of two main phases, the first of which was recently completed by TPA and MedINA. This initial phase consisted of three distinct steps: the identification of the area’s main features and the analysis of prominent challenges, the creation of a vision and a strategy for the integrated sustainable development of the wider area and the analysis of the planning and funding framework for the specialization of the strategy. Throughout the first phase, special attention was given to making integrated yet realistic proposals which are consistent with the relevant European policies, the Greek National Development Strategy and the Region’s operational plans.
Upon completion of the first phase, three info days and a conference have designed by ASCSA in Ancient Corinth, two of which have already taken place and two are planned for early September. Yorgos Melissourgos, who is leading this project on behalf of MedINA, has assisted in the organization of the workshops and has delivered a number of presentations during the meetings until now.
The first meeting took place on 23rd June and representatives of the local council, businesses representatives, farming cooperatives, parent associations, school teachers and cultural associations were invited. The second info day took place on 6th July with representatives from the tourism sector, the municipal authority, local environmental scientists and other Corinthian agents. The third meeting, scheduled for early September, will involve targeted stakeholders from the Regional Authority, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the tourism industry, the construction industry and other supra-local agents.
Overall, the feedback given by the local agents in the first two info days has been quite positive. In the second phase of the project, i.e. the development of the Management Plan and the formulation of an Action Plan, the active involvement of many of these stakeholders will be sought. For the time being, and just before commencing with the second phase, joint efforts are being made for securing the resources and institutional support that are needed for the future implementation of the Plan.
