Greek Environment

Environmental Memories part II from Giannis Psifas

There is no better way to spend your Greek Holidays than by experiencing the country’s innate beauty and natural resources. Greece, being one of the most beautiful countries in the European region is known for its well-preserved and pollution free environment. In fact, several tourists from different parts of the globe visit Greece every year to enjoy and experience nature sightseeing. Since it is home of diverse species, its biodiversity never fails to attract travellers and adventure seekers.

Endangered Animals in Greece 

Even though Greece is a relatively small and mountainous region it is home to an astonishing one hundred fifty endemic species of plant and animal life. However, more than fifty of these species are endangered 

Audouin's Gull                                                               

The audouin's gull is a threatened species of bird in Greece and nearby regions. Its life is threatened by over commercial fishing, which is depleting the species of its main food source. This bird lays its eggs on the ground, and the overpopulation of goats in its territory makes natural breeding difficult.

Cretan Frog                                                                      

Found only in Greece, this threatened species of frog was once found in abundance near moist areas throughout the region, especially in marshes and swamplands.

Saker Falcon

Found primarily in Greece, and nearby areas, the saker falcon was once a bird of abundance. Now it is believed that only around a couple thousand exist, most of which are in captivity.

Greek Native Plants 

Greece boasts over 5500 different species of plant, making it one of the most biologically diverse nations in Europe. The mountains, lowlands, and dry regions each have special balances of plant life, though many of the forests of southern Greece have been cut down to support the boating industry. Since the country does not receive much rainfall annually, the plants endemic to Greece have evolved adaptations that make them hardy and drought-resistant.

Trees of Greece

The olive tree is one of the most important plants in Greece because of its usefulness in cooking, but also as a lubricant or as fuel in lamps. Another interesting Greek tree is the Judas tree, which has the unusual trait of growing flowers before growing leaves. In northern Greece the native forests still exist with a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, depending on which mountainous forest you visit. Beech, chestnut, cypress, poplar, pine, and aspen are among the 200 different species of tree native to Greece.

Herbs of Greece

Plants that are especially oily or aromatic have the advantage of tasting too strongly for most animals to want to eat, yet they are perfect for being ground up and used for cooking. Greek cooking is known for the use of herbs endemic to Greece, such as oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender and a type of curry plant. The oily surface of the herbs' leaves helps retain moisture, which has allowed these plants to survive in the dry regions of Greece where long droughts are common.

Although Greece’s has a variety of plants and animals, it is known for its natural disasters too. There have been many earthquakes in Greece in the past few years, including major quakes on or near Crete, Rhodes, the Peloponnese, Karpathos, and elsewhere in Greece. A major quake struck off the Northern Aegean island of Samothrace on May 24th, 2014; initial estimates ran as high as 7.2, though these were revised downward. Crete was struck by a strong quake, originally measured as a 6.2 but later estimated at 5.9, on April Fool's Day, 2011.

Earthquakes in Greece

Greece is one of the world's most seismically active countries. Fortunately, most Greek earthquakes are relatively mild but there is always the potential for more severe seismic activity. Most of Crete, Greece, and the Greek islands are contained in a "box" of fault lines running in different directions. This is in addition to the earthquake potential from the still-lively volcanoes, including the Nysiros Volcano, thought by some experts to be overdue for a major eruption.

Volcanoes in Greece

The Greek volcanoes are part of the "Aegean Volcanic Arc", which is caused by the subduction of the African tectonic plate under the Eurasian plate. Santorini is the most famous volcano in Greece. Since 1950 this volcano hasn’t been active but in January 2011 Santorini started to wake from 66 years of inactivity. The episode began with a seismic swarm and radial deformation of the volcano. The unrest has been interpreted as radial inflation of the volcano by 5-9 cm by a magma source, 4 km below the northern half of the caldera.

Wildfires in Greece

In the last decade Greece had to deal with many forest fires. One of them was a brush fire which broke out on the outskirts of the Greek capital, burning across a hillside and blanketing parts of Athens in thick smoke. High temperatures burned through woodland around the Greek capital, flames fanned by strong winds and forced dozens of Athens residents fled their homes. At least six wildfires broke out across Greece on Friday, 17 July 2015 . The first large-scale fire occurred in Laconia, Peloponnese, then the fire spread toward Neapoli. another two wildfires broke out in Kareas and Koropi, Athens. The Kareas fire has spread toward the districts of Ymittos, Vyronas and Argyroupoli .A fourth wildfire occurred near Chalkis, Euboea, where the village of Afrati .Huge number of hectares were destroyed .