In short
- Greece has 446 Natura 2000 sites covering about 27% of its land.
- Natura 2000 is not an automatic building ban. Rules depend on the site and, in future, on zones set by Presidential Decree.
- Out-of-plan plots inside Natura need a larger minimum size to build under Law 3937/2011.
- Projects that could affect a site need an environmental assessment and an opinion from the protected-areas agency NECCA.
- An engineer can issue an official Natura certificate stating whether a plot is inside a site.
What Natura 2000 is
Natura 2000 is the EU network of protected areas set up under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. There are two kinds of site: Special Areas of Conservation (ΕΖΔ, formerly Sites of Community Importance, ΤΚΣ) for habitats and species, and Special Protection Areas (ΖΕΠ) for birds. One place can be both.
Greece has 446 sites, covering about 27% of its land and more than 19% of its sea, according to NECCA, the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency that manages them.
Can you build inside Natura 2000?
Often yes, but with more conditions than elsewhere. The main rules for a buyer:
- Plot size: Law 3937/2011 sets a larger minimum plot size for building and subdivision on out-of-plan land inside a Natura site than elsewhere, with transitional rules for plots that were already buildable in 2011. Your engineer confirms which figure applies.
- Banned uses: some uses are prohibited in every Natura site, such as high-nuisance industry.
- Assessment: under the Habitats Directive, a plan or project likely to have a significant effect on a site needs an appropriate assessment. In Greece smaller projects need a Special Ecological Assessment (ΕΟΑ) with an opinion from NECCA, which adds time and cost.
Legalising an existing unauthorised building is harder inside Natura, especially if it was built after the site was designated. Ask your engineer before relying on a building that has no permit.
Special Environmental Studies and zones
Under Law 4685/2020, each protected area gets a Special Environmental Study (ΕΠΜ), followed by a Presidential Decree that divides it into zones with their own permitted uses. In May 2026 the Ministry of Environment said studies had been approved for 322 of the 446 sites, with the rest due in 2026, but only one decree had been issued.
Until a decree is issued, the general Natura rules above apply. Once it is issued, the zone a plot falls into can matter more than the fact that it is inside Natura: strict protection zones allow very little, while sustainable-management zones allow more.
How to check a plot
- The EEA Natura 2000 Viewer lets anyone see site boundaries and look sites up by name or code.
- The official evidence is the Natura certificate (πιστοποιητικό Natura), issued by an engineer through gov.gr. It states whether the plot is wholly or partly inside a site, with the area and coordinates.
- Check forest maps too: Natura land is often also forest land, and the stricter rule applies.
What a public-data pre-check shows
Every Core and Extended report checks the confirmed parcel against the published Natura 2000 boundaries and names any site it overlaps, with the site code and type. The Extended report also checks nationally designated protected areas. Each result comes with the questions to ask your engineer.
What it cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which zone of a future decree the plot will fall into, whether your project needs an assessment, or what NECCA would decide. It is not the official Natura certificate.
See a sample report →Questions for your lawyer or engineer
- 01Can you issue a Natura certificate for this plot, and which sites and types apply?
- 02Is there an approved Special Environmental Study or a Presidential Decree for this site, and which zone would the plot be in?
- 03Does the plot meet the Natura minimum size for building out of plan?
- 04Would my planned works or use need a Special Ecological Assessment, and how long would that take?
- 05Is the plot also on a forest map or under another protection regime?
Greek terms
| Greek | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ΕΖΔ | Special Area of Conservation (SAC) | Natura site for habitats and species. |
| ΖΕΠ | Special Protection Area (SPA) | Natura site for birds. |
| ΕΠΜ | Special Environmental Study | Study that proposes zones and uses for a protected area. |
| ΠΔ | Presidential Decree | Legal act that sets the zones and their rules. |
| ΕΟΑ | Special Ecological Assessment | Greek form of the appropriate assessment for smaller projects. |
| ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ | NECCA | Agency that manages protected areas. |
| Πιστοποιητικό Natura | Natura certificate | Engineer's certificate on whether a plot is inside a site. |