The 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee was held in Crete, after a week of field monitoring of the project actions

During the whole week of 19 to 23 May 2025, a new monitoring visit was carried out in Crete by representatives of all the partners of the LIFE Phoenix project. The Canarian delegation was composed of 10 members, including staff from the Council of Gran Canaria, General Directorate of Agriculture of GOBCAN, ICIA, ULPGC, GESPLAN and GMR Canarias. The composition of the delegation of Greek partners varied according to the areas to be visited, including in each day a representation of the Ministry of Environment, University of Crete, HSPN and HOMEOTECH.

Between Monday and Thursday, detailed visits were made throughout four of the six project areas in Crete (Chrysoskalitissa, Preveli, Vai and Agios Nikitas), as well as to the public nursery of Chania, under the Ministry of Environment. The field monitoring allowed for a regular exchange of impressions in situ, as well as for considering corrections and new ideas on the problems faced by the natural palm groves in each area. During the afternoon of Wednesday 21st, a session of technical talks was also given by the Canarian partners to the staff of the Greek partners and other local stakeholders.

After the first months of project implementation, the most important current challenges in Crete correspond to a higher than expected red palm weevil affectation, as well as a strong livestock pressure in the most isolated palm groves. Added to this is the already known need to control the heavy public use of the most important palm groves, which are located next to popular beaches.