There has long been opposition to the prospect of a gold mine and processing plant being built at Skouries in the Halkidiki peninsula, with some residents objecting to what they say will be the destruction of the environment and of pristine forest in the area, leading to the loss of tourism and other local activities such as farming, the rearing of livestock and fishing.
Of course, after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, this is not the most propitious climate for deepwater drilling, particularly in an area routinely described as pristine.