Region of Crete and FORTH launch study to fight erosion at Kalo Chorio beaches
The Region of Crete and the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) have signed a programmatic agreement to study severe coastal erosion affecting the beaches of Kalo Chorio, in the Lasithi regional unit, and to propose measures to protect them, according to Cretalive.
The research will be carried out by FORTH’s Coastal and Marine Research Laboratory, headed by Nikos Kabanis, with postdoctoral researcher Giorgos Alexandrakis also involved in the project. The two researchers described the planned work to Cretalive ahead of the study’s start.
Kalo Chorio is made up of three bays — Voulisma, Agios Panteleimonas and Karavostasi — each with different geographical and hydrodynamic characteristics, Kabanis said. He noted that local authorities, including Lasithi deputy regional governor Yiannis Androulakis, had raised concerns about the area’s condition two to three years ago, particularly at Voulisma, where erosion beneath the beach is undermining the adjacent slope and has begun to cause localized collapses.
Kabanis attributed the erosion to a combination of human-related interventions and climate change, including extreme weather events and sea-level rise. He said the Region of Crete already runs a Climate Change Observatory, which includes a dedicated Crete Coastal Observatory operated by his laboratory, and that existing data from past studies will feed into a new database for the Kalo Chorio project.
Research program structure
The project, titled “Investigation of the shrinkage of the tourist beaches of Kalo Chorio, Lasithi, due to human pressures and climate change, and proposals for protection and redevelopment interventions, 2026–2027–2028,” is structured in five work packages, according to the researchers.
The first package covers analysis of the current situation, including a detailed study of the area and an assessment of erosion risk. This will be followed by climate change modeling, then an evaluation of available technical solutions to address coastal erosion. The fourth stage involves drafting a final report and action plan for the protection and sustainable management of the Kalo Chorio coastal zone, while the fifth and final stage covers publicity, public information and dissemination of the project’s results.
Alexandrakis said the three bays will be examined both as a whole and individually, since each presents different erosion dynamics. He noted that Agios Panteleimonas falls under certain nature-protection designations, while Voulisma consists of a flatter area near the village and a section with steep slopes that requires separate analysis. An unrelated local dispute over beach ownership at Kalo Chorio has also drawn attention to the area’s beaches in recent months.
Field work will include periodic drone imagery to document the area’s geomorphology, sampling, bathymetric surveys and side-scan sonar to assess the seabed, Alexandrakis said. The researchers plan to begin field work once visitor numbers in the area decline, likely toward the end of autumn, so as not to disrupt tourists and to allow the work to proceed more efficiently. Office-based modeling and periodic follow-up visits will continue alongside the field work until the study is complete, he added.
Alexandrakis said the project also needs to take into account archaeological interests in the area and ensure that any proposed interventions are practically implementable rather than purely theoretical. Protecting Crete’s coastline, including sites listed among the island’s beaches, has drawn increased attention amid ongoing concerns about erosion and climate impacts.
