Yet Another Green Page

Greek Nature

Greece is a country with a rich biodiversity and a wide variation of ecosystemsthat are in good condition, relatively to the rest of the European countries. Its flora and fauna is among the richest in Europe.

Even if the exact number of plant species is not yet fully known, Greece must have more than 5500 (6000 according to most recent estimations). This number is the second highest in Europe (Table 1 and Table 2). Only the Iberian Peninsula has more species but within a much wider surface.

Country Approximate number of species Approximate number of species per 100 km
Portugal 3100 3.4
Spain 7500 1.5
France 4500 0.8
Italy 5500 1.8
ex-Jugoslavia 5000 1.7
Albania 3000 10.4
Greece 5500 4.2
Turkey 8000 1.0
Cyprus 1800 18.9
Table 1. Estimated floristic wealth of nine European
and other Mediterranean countries.

Many of the Greek species are endemics and can be found nowhere else on the planet. The estimated number is 7422 (almost 13% of the total), with about 480 endemic subspecies more3, which is the highest in Europe. The reasons for this great diversity and endemism are thought to be:

  1. its geographical position between Europe, Asia and Africa,
  2. the geological history of the country,
  3. its diverse geomorphology (many mountains and islands) and cosequently
  4. its diverse climate, which result in a vast variety of biotopes.
The same reasons are responsible for the rich Greek fauna, too. Table 2 presents the Greek plant, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species, in comparison to those of Europe and the whole World. One remarkable feature of this Table is that the number of bird species that have been recorded in Greece, reaches an amazing 90% of the European total. Another important feature is the great endemism of the Greek freshwater fish: 49.4% of the total Greek species.

Higher plants 227000 10500 5500 52.4 742
Marine fish 20000 1250 520 41.6
Freshwater fish ? <500 79 15.8 39
Amphibians 4350 58 16 27.6 2
Reptiles 6500 140 58 41.4 7
Birds 9200 450 407 90.4
Mammals 4170 190 116 61.1 2
Table 2. Plant and animal species of Greece,
Europe and the World.

The variety of vegetation, flora and fauna is reflected on the equally great variety of ecosystems. Generally speaking, we can classify the terrestrial ecosystems of Greece in the following categories4,8, by following the corresponding climatic zones of vegetation:

There is also a great variety of azonic wetland ecosystems: coasts, lakes, lagoons, swamps, rivers, deltas, artificial lakes or reservoirs, sources, saltworks, etc. Riparian forests are included in this general type of ecosystems.


Threats That The Greek Nature Is Facing

During the last decades, the economic development of the country as well as the social transformations caused radical changes to Greek nature, making the environmental conservation an imperative.

According to most recent estimations, 60% of the Greek populace is living at the coastal zone. Consequently, the demand for real estate is high, aiming to industrial development, recreation, commerce, tourism. This fact has led to illegal changes of land use. Natural biotopes that protect the coastline from sea-erosion, like the sand dunes, were turned to residential areas since there is no official control over this kind of development and the penalties due to such cases are failed to be enforced.

Greece has lost almost 2/3 of its wetlands since 1935, mainly because of drainings in order to face the problem of mosquitoes and malaria, as well as to gain land for agriculture. The losses are continuing up to date. Huge hydro-electric dams (like tho ones on Acheloos or Nestos rivers), river diversions, overuse of water resources for irrigation, pollution from urban sludge and industrial effluents, agrochemical runoffs after overuse or wrong use, intense fish-cultivations, urbinisation, pressure from touristic development, intensification of agriculture and lack of sustainable policies are the main reasons for the wetland degradation of the present years.

The threats that the Greek forests are facing are no fewer. Despite the fact of forest expansion due to the abandonment of mountain regions by the locals who are seeking a better future at the lowlands and the big cities, lowland forests are experiencing gasping pressure by the demand for urbinisation or agricultural land. On the same time, the inensification of silviculture is leading to the construction of hundreds of kilometers of forest roads (an action oftenly supported by sheep or goat owners who use cars now) and the substitution of "non-productive species", like oak, by fast-growing species, like pines, while the problem of lowland forest fires caused by humans is becoming destructive, especially when it is followed by intense grazing.


Reference

  1. C.N.R.S. (1975). La Flore du Bassin Mediterranee. Essais de systematique synthetique. Coll Int. C.N.R.S. de Montepellier - Editions du C.N.R.S. Paris, 576 pp.
  2. Kokkini S. (1991). Data from the Flora Hellenica Project 1991. School of Biology. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
  3. Iatrou G.A. (1986). Contribution to the study of endemism of the Peloponnesian flora. PhD Dessertation. School of Biology. University of Patras.
  4. Polunin O. (1980). Flowers of Greece and the Balkans: a field guide. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  5. Economides P.S. (pers. comm.)
  6. Hellenic Zoological Society & Hellenic Ornithological Society (1992). The Red Data Book of Threatened Vertebrates of Greece. Athens, 340 pp.
  7. Sofianidou T. (1993). Vertebrate Systematics. School of Biology. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, (in Greek).
  8. Dafis S. (1995). Greek Ecosystems. Amphibion, 13, p. 4-5.
The chapter entitled "Threats that Greek nature is facing" was based to: Hellenic Ornithological Society (1994). Important Bird Areas of Greece. Special Edition. Athens, 272 pp.
If you want any additional information on any issue
mentioned above, please send an e-mail
to the following addresses:
blionis@olymp.ccf.auth.gr or
cyberdome@magnet.gr
Last Update: [June 25th 1996]
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