Understanding the (In)Governability of Environmental Protected Areas: The Case of Greece

Protected areas (PAs) remain central to global conservation policy, yet their performance depends as much on governance quality as on ecological design. This paper examines the (in)governability of Greece’s protected area system by assessing how formal institutions align with contextual realities. A systematic review of forty-three peer-reviewed studies (1999–2020) is combined with analysis of recent governance-assessment tools to evaluate institutional fit, legitimacy, and equity. Frameworks such as the Site-level Assessment of Governance and Equity (SAGE) and the IUCN (2024) guidelines on Advancing Equitable Governance in area-based conservation provide practical metrics for participation, accountability, and fairness, offering a timely benchmark for the Greek case. The review shows that, despite substantial EU-driven legal reforms, Greece’s PA system continues to exhibit governance misfit, weak institutional integration, and persistent implementation gaps. Institutional misfit is understood here as a misalignment between formal governance arrangements and the social, ecological, and administrative contexts they are intended to regulate. Governability remains constrained by centralization, limited stakeholder participation, and fragile accountability mechanisms. By integrating classical theories of institutional fit and interactive governance with contemporary equity-based approaches, the study identifies the structural and contextual barriers that hinder effective and just conservation. The findings highlight the need for more legitimate, participatory, and context-sensitive governance arrangements to ensure that protected areas in Greece deliver both ecological and social outcomes.