Rethimnon: The need to create the route had already emerged from the joint working meetings of the two bodies, within the framework of planning for the protection and promotion of the area.

Another important step for the protection, promotion and sustainable utilization of the unique natural wealth of the Municipality of Agios Vasilios was taken with the receipt of the study for the design of the path that will connect the Kourtaliotiko Gorge with Lake Preveli.

This is a particularly important intervention, as it creates the conditions for the development of a unified nature trail, which will allow visitors to experience one of the most impressive routes in Crete in an organized and safe manner, while highlighting the special natural and environmental reserve of the area, from the Kourtaliotiko Gorge to the Megas Potamos and the Palm Grove.

The receipt of the study, however, also has a special symbolism. Its preparation was financed by the revenues generated from the implementation of the system of controlled and organized access to the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, proving in practice that the resources generated by the new management model return to the area itself and are utilized for projects that protect, upgrade and highlight its natural wealth.

This specific study was included from the very beginning in the joint planning of the Municipality of Agios Vasilios and the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organization (OFYPEKA), as one of the key interventions for the improvement of visitor infrastructure and the development of an integrated framework for sustainable management of the wider Kourtaliotis area. The need to create the route had already emerged from the joint working meetings of the two bodies, within the framework of the planning for the protection and promotion of the area.