Greece's forests remain exposed to developers who illegally build on public property as the government has failed to prepare an adequate land register to protect the natural resource.

Industry experts told Kathimerini yesterday that the Greek Constitution obliges the state to protect forests by recording tracts of wooded areas in a register. But these efforts have fallen far short, leaving developers to consume the land for building projects.

Greece's forests have shrunk, according to official data. In 1945, just over 75 percent of the country was part of a forest or valley, compared to about 61 percent today.

The government began the arduous task of compiling a forest register in 1999 but has made little progress.

There are no forestland records for more than 94 percent of the country. As a result, development industry officials and the government have no sources of information on the provenance of the land.

«There are some old maps but they are not reliable,» said Thanassis Bouzinekis, president of the Panhellenic Movement of Foresters.

Property developers have used the lack of forest maps to build on public land and claim the tracts as their own.

A senior official from the Agriculture Ministry said that thousands of homeowners have built on state property around Greece and are now seeking to legalize their home through court procedures.

«The Greek State is being pillaged,» the official said.

Because of the structure of current laws, the government cannot easily fight these takeovers of public land.

Sources blame the lack of progress on the forestland register on the government, which they say has done a poor job of making the register a priority.

The government has often been criticized for being insensitive toward environmental issues. On several occasions, the European Union has even taken Greece to court on environmental matters.