#erimitis

The widow of the writer and naturalist Gerald Durrell has appealed directly to Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a last ditch effort to avert the destruction of the "jewel in the crown" of Greek biodiversity sites.

In a letter seen by the Telegraph, Lee Durrell urged Mr Mitsotakis to call off bulldozers that recently began clearing vegetation on Corfu’s Erimitis peninsular, a rare patch of the unspoilt island wilderness made famous by the author of My Family and Other Animals.

In the letter, Ms Durrell, who has lived for decades on Corfu and is an honorary Greek citizen, writes: “I and many other residents, Corfiots and expats alike, care very deeply about the wild nature that can still be found in a few places on Corfu, even 80 years after my late husband immortalised it in his writings."  

"Erimitis lies like a precious green jewel on the northeast coast and is one of the most biodiverse areas in all of Greece, with its huge strawberry trees, giant heathers, numerous orchids, insects and migratory birds, as well as extensive sea grass beds off shore."

“Does Corfu really need another tourist resort if the price to pay is the loss of Erimitis?"

“Please consider keeping, treasuring and safeguarding Erimitis as a jewel in the crown of Greece and Corfu. It would be an area of nature and natural beauty, well protected from the ravages of concrete and crowds."

Usually, at this time of year, Corfu would have submitted to the soporific rhythms of the relentless summer heat. Instead, anger is in the air and battle lines have been drawn, none more so than in the minds of those determined to protect the island’s last piece of virgin territory – a place of unique biodiversity – from being developed into an “ultra luxury” resort.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. On the one side are campaigners, most visibly Lee Durrell, widow of the naturalist Gerald, whose portrayal of Corfu in My Family and Other Animals played no small part in evoking the Ionian isle’s charms and beauty – and ultimately bringing tourism to its shores.

On the other side are a business-friendly Greek government and the private equity fund NCH Capital, which acquired the natural paradise in north-eastern Corfu when Athens’ cash-strapped state was selling off assets at the height of the country’s debt crisis.

Eight years on, after 11 court appeals, two presidential decrees, 10 ministerial decisions and 54 government interventions, the New-York based group has finally obtained the permits to move ahead with the flagship “Kassiopi project”.

Barely a month after being officially inaugurated, contractors are being lined up. By 2026, the investment firm hopes to have transformed the headland, known as Erimitis, “the Hermit”, into a high-end “environmentally sensitive” resort with a five-star hotel, holiday villas and a 60-berth marina. Construction will be in accordance with bioclimatic design principles, says Andreas Santis, its managing director, adding: “It will be very green. Only 7% of the entire 500-acre site will actually be built. In terms of building density that is much lower than any other area around here.”

Durrell, a respected naturalist in her own right, is far from convinced. She recalls how, during Gerry’s last visit in 1986, there were already enough architectural “carbuncles” erected along Corfu’s shoreline to make him “turn his back to the coast” during boat trips.