Ministry of Environment: Polyeagos is protected as a designated landscape of outstanding natural beauty and natura site

The issue of Polyaigos was brought to the fore by the complaint of the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture of Milos that procedures are being initiated which foreshadow building on Polyaigos, the island of unique beauty, protected for its natural beauty and uninhabited, and put authorities and residents of Kimolos and Milos on a war footing.

It is recalled that yesterday, the Central Archaeological Council declared the whole of Polyaigos as an archaeological site in a clear move to protect the island.

The announcement by the Ministry of Environment
The Ministry of Environment and Energy’s response regarding recent reports of building plans on Polyaigos

In response to recent publications, the Ministry of Environment and Energy must clarify that the island of Polyaegos has been classified as a Landscape of Special Natural Beauty, in two relevant Special Environmental Studies as a nature protection zone, while it is also included in the Special Environmental Study for the National Marine Park of South Aegean 1 – Southern Cyclades.

In more detail:

1) According to Decision DPA/9389/2000 (B΄1176), the island of Polyeagos has been designated as a Landscape of Special Natural Beauty.

2) The island falls within the boundaries of the Natura network areas GR4220006 (Special Management Area for Habitats and Species -EZD- concerning the islands of Kimolos and Polyeagos) and GR4220030 (Special Protection Area for Birds -ZEP- concerning the islands of Milos, Antimilos and Polyeagos). Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have also been designated in this area, including GR152 ‘West Milos, Antimilos and Polyaigos islands and islets’.

3) The area of the island of Polyaios is included in the Special Environmental Study (SEA) 8a “Natura 2000 sites of the South Aegean Region (part)”, whose public consultation has been completed and is currently under approval. Also, the island of Polyeagos is included in the National Marine Park of South Aegean 1 – Southern Cyclades (NMPNA 1 – Southern Cyclades), for which a Special Environmental Study has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Energy and is already posted for public consultation until 22 September 2025.

4) The island of Polyeagos in the two relevant Special Environmental Studies, is characterized as a Nature Protection Zone, which implies very limited uses and, in no case, houses and hotels.

Therefore, under the existing legislative framework, it is ensured that Polyeagos remains a strictly protected natural place, a valuable refuge for biodiversity and an integral part of the natural wealth of the Cyclades, without any possibility of creating new housing or tourist accommodation.

Υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος: Η Πολύαιγος προστατεύεται ως χαρακτηρισμένο Τοπίο Ιδιαίτερου Φυσικού Κάλλους και περιοχή Natura

Polyagos is famous for its unparalleled beauty, its turquoise, transparent sea, its white, naturally sculpted rocks, its silvery beaches where in summer the yachts of the most powerful and famous people on the planet dock. It is also famous for its… inhabitants: the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus-Monachus, which has chosen Polyaigos to give birth to its young away from threats and noise, its wild goats, the black-legged snake and other animals and reptiles. Polyaigos, with an area of approximately 18.1 square kilometres, is a unique natural and cultural treasure of the Aegean. It is classified as a Landscape of Special Natural Beauty according to the Decision of the Minister of the Aegean (DPA/9389/2000 – Government Gazette 1176/B/22.09.2000), included in the Natura 2000 network, Special Protection Zone for rare fauna species and habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus.

Due to its archaeological findings (e.g, a shipwreck of the Classical period on its shores), the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades has requested that the entire Polyeagos be classified as an archaeological site, a request that was accepted today by the KAS. The island was, however, adequately protected as any building work requires permission from the archaeological services.