Listed 8 sub titles with search on: Biotopes for wider area of: "FLORINA Prefecture GREECE" .
CHIMADITIS (Lake) FLORINA
MEGALI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
MIKRI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
PETRES LAKE (Lake) FLORINA
MEGALI PRESPA (Lake) FLORINA
Prespa region has more than 1500 plant species, 23 fish species, 11
amphibians, 21 reptiles, more than 42 species of mammals, and over 260 bird spices
that find shelter in the area. The old age of the lakes, the geomorphologic characteristics
and the climatic conditions allow for the existence of endemic species, as well
as species with a very narrow geographic range in Greece or in Balkans. The traditional
cultivation, stock-farming and fishing techniques practiced during hundreds of
years in this region also contributed to the creation and conservation of this
rich fauna and flora.
The avifauna of Prespa National Park includes species of vital importance
on a national and international level. The larger single colony of Dalmatian Pelican
in the world found in Mikri Prespa nesting together with the Great White Pelicans,
the only occurrence in the European Union. Here there are Greece?s only breeding
colonies of Greylag Geese and goosander, one of the larger breeding colonies of
Great White Egret in Greece, as well as the largest colony of Pygmy Cormorant
in the European Union.
Some of the small birds found in the juniper scrub of Devas, such
as the somber Tit, the Subalpine Warbler the Black-eared Wheatear and the Cirl
Bunting are characteristic of the Mediterranean zones.
Mammal species such as Brown Bears, Wolves and Chamois are found on
the mountain slopes, and others occur in the wetlands areas.
The fish fauna of the lakes includes 23 species, 12 of them being
endemic species or subspecies of Prespa. The carp, barbell, roach, chub and nase
are the most important fisheries in the region.
Two of the reptile species of Prespa, the Adder and the sand Lizard
have here the most southerly point of their distribution in Europe, while the
Lizard Algyroides nigropunctatus is and endemic species of the western Balkan
area.
The flora of Prespa comprises that have been given status of international
protection of various grades, with many representatives of Balkan endemic plant
as well as plants occurring only in Greece and locally.
Because of the many terrestrial biotopes present in the region, such
as sandy and rocky coastal formations, meadow vegetations of plains, hills, woodlands
and alpine areas; mixed, deciduous, evergreen forests and sub alpine vegetation,
together with the aquatic biotopes, it is very likely that no other region in
the whole of Europe has such a variety of forms of life for its size.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Municipality of Prespes URL below, which contains image
The wet meadows are areas surrounding the lake with low aquatic vegetation
covered with water at certain seasons of the year, according to the fluctuating
lake water level. The water level usually begins to rise from mid winter and reaches
its maximum at the end of spring, thus maintaining the wet meadows inundated.
The significance of the wet meadows is manifold as they :
- constitute ideal spawning grounds for fish and amphibians,
- host large concentrations of invertebrate organisms, and
- function as principal feeding grounds for many waterbirds.
The existence of wet meadows is directly related to the control of
the reedbeds that surround the lake. If these reedbeds are not subjected to any
form of management, they will extend towars the land covering the wet meadows.
The relationship therefore, between wet meadows and the reedbeds is dynamic, and
the conservation of the former depends largely on human intervention.
This text is cited September 2004 from the Municipality of Prespes URL below, which contains image
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!
