The guardians of Syrna – before the marine park

Syrna is not an island you can just go to. It lies practically alone in the north Karpathian Sea, southeast of Astypalaia, with just five tiny islets to keep it company: Mikros and Megalos Adelfos (Small and Big Brother), Mesonisi, Plakida and Stefania. Even a sturdy boat needs clement weather to reach its shores. 

Yet this small, isolated island, treeless and bereft of all infrastructure save a mole and a few huts cobbled together by shepherds for their goats, is an Eden for the many scientists who continue to visit it to this day, braving the primitive conditions. The reason for their interest is not obvious to the naked eye: This 7.9-square kilometer isle is a paradise of biodiversity, precisely because of its isolation. And this abundance of nature has now put Syrna on the geopolitical map.

Greece's decision to create two protected marine parks, one of which...