History of the Marine Park

In 1992, the first Marine Park in Greece, the National Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades (NMPANS), was established by Presidential Decree in the area of the Northern Sporades.

It must be emphasized that the Marine Park is not a “closed” protected area, but an extensive marine area of 2,200 square kilometers, where visitors can travel while always following the regulations established for the protection of this unique ecosystem.

Giorgos Katsadorakis wrote:
”I will only make one wish.
May our children and the great-great-grandchildren of their great-grandchildren be able to experience the charm exerted by this complex of islands, which as a whole presents truly unique characteristics in the Aegean region. Which resembles no other island group, and no other complex gathers so many precious elements in such combinations of beauty, natural wealth, and historical and cultural interest.”

It is one of the most important habitats of the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus, one of the most endangered mammals in the world.