## The Case of Greece
### The Special Features of Greece
#### 5.1.1 Natural Features and Remote Sensing Technologies  
When it comes to the use of remote sensing technologies, Greece seems to be an \"ideal\" case study. This country is characterized by its unique relief, its alpine character, the great length of its coastline, its large number of islands, and its remarkable biodiversity, with habitats and species subject to a special protection status. Therefore, remote sensing technologies have great potential when it comes to covering the needs that arise from the purpose of environmental protection by replacing human physical presence, whenever such presence is inadequate or impossible. The use of modern technological tools for the purpose of environmental protection is different from the former know-how employed by the Greek administration, which involved the \"static\" use of older technologies to address special technical issues (e.g., for purposes of public works32 or for forest mapping33)), and from the more recent one concerning the attainment of objectives of a wider range (National Cadastre34, forest maps-Forest Register35) through modern technologies, which, however, are in these cases again used in a technocratic and mechanistic manner. Footnote 32: Legislative Decree 3879/1958, PD 696/1974. Footnote 33: Law 248/1976. Footnote 34: Law 4512/2018. Footnote 35: Law 3889/2010. Footnote 36: Article 25 par. 1 “1. The rights of the human being as an individual and as a member of the society and the principle of the welfare state rule of law are guaranteed by the State. All agents of the State shall be obliged to ensure the unhindered and effective exercise thereof. These rights also apply to the relations between individuals to which they are appropriate. Restrictions of any kind which, according to the Constitution, may be imposed upon these rights, should be provided either directly by the Constitution or by statute, should a reservation exist in the latter’s favor, and should respect the principle of proportionality”. The usability of the most modern technologies, such as satellite imagery and UAVs, is nowadays examined in a 'dynamic' manner, i.e., for the purpose of systematically recording and using data where and when required, depending on the needs of an overall environmental protection strategy. Such a use, based on a real-time monitoring strategy, exceeds the existing administrative experience, on the one hand, and raises crucial questions about human rights and especially privacy and personal data protection, on the other hand. 1.2 Constitutional Protection of Conflicting Rights and the Principle of Proportionality as Counterbalance  
Greek legal order has the particularity that provides a constitutional protection to the environment, and, especially to the forest environment, which is subject to a special status of enhanced constitutional protection (Article 24 par. 1 and Article 117 par. 3 of the Constitution) ([PERSON] et al., 2020). At the same time, the rights of personal data, privacy, and personality protection are also constitutionally anchored (Articles 9, 9A, 5 of the Constitution). Finally, any conflict between protected human rights in the Hellenic Constitution system is resolved through the implementation of the principle of proportionality (Article 25 par. 1 of the Constitution36), which is the essential counterbalance37. In the Greek legal order, the principle of proportionality was initially acknowledged by the Hellenic Council of State as a constitutional principle derived from the concept of State of justice38, and after the constitutional revision of the year 2001, it was explicitly incorporated in Article 25 par. 1 of the Constitution. Footnote 36: Article 25 par. 1 “1. The rights of the human being as an individual and as a member of the society and the principle of the welfare state rule of law are guaranteed by the State. All agents of the State shall be obliged to ensure the unhindered and effective exercise thereof. These rights also apply to the relations between individuals to which they are appropriate.