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Information taken  by the Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research.
You can find all the information in the link below!
Many thanks to the editors that provide the information online.

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Ha gorge - exploring a spectacular hidden landscape

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Texts: Savas Paragamian and Kaloust Paragamian. Text on the flora of the gorge: by Manolis Avramakis Photographs: Manolis Avramakis, Antonis Chalkiadakis, Τolis Kaparounakis, Stavros Lazaridis, Andreas Meladakis, Ioannis Nikoloudakis, Kaloust Paragamian, Savas Paragamian, Fondas Spinthakis Cover photo: Andreas Meladakis Mapping: Savas Paragamian Mapping graphics: Eleni Sfakianaki Published by: Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research Publication funded by: Local Programme of Axis 4 "Implementation of LEADER Approach" of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, implemented by the Local Action Group of the Lassithi Local Development Agency S.A.

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The gorge is also a habitat for lots of aves like the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). The population of red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) is remarkable and dozens of couples are nesting in the cliffs’ holes. Other “noisy” birds with frequent presence in the gorge are the Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) and the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius).

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Red-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, flying. It lives in high mountains, though in winter it descends to lower terrains. It forms noisy flocks. It is nesting in exclusive cavities on cliffs or in cave openings.

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Corvus monedula

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Gypaetus barbatus

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Gyps fulvus

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Aquila chrysaetos

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The majority of the invertebrate animals of the gorge cannot be seen by the visitors except of the millipede species Pachyiulus flavipes. We can see thousands of them on the walls of the gorge at the end of the autumn season. During the winter, the rushing waters of the river remove the animals of the riverbed but still some frogs (Pelophylax cretensis) remain.

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Pachyiulus flavipes

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Pelophylax cretensis

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Cretan spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus minous

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Photo of the Cretan spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus minous, a small rodent found in Crete. It gets its name from the characteristic spiny hair on the lower part of its back. It lives in small hierarchically structured communities and eats insects, snails and seeds.

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Archaeological discoveries found that since the Neolithic epoch there was continuous anthropogenic activity in the area. This activity became more intense in the end of the Minoan era, in a period really disordered due to the threat of Pirates.

Very near to the southwest exit of the Ha’s gorge, at 230m of altitude occur the remains of the Chalasmeno, a big ancient village in the 12th BC.

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Nowadays, there is a small number of people living in villages near the gorge. Due to its difficulty to cross it, the area is not often visited and we could say that human presence has not affected the naturalness , at least not in a great level.

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Gorge’s Ha flora and vegetation are of great importance. The gorge combines different types of vegetation. It is the natural habitat of a great number of endemic species of Crete where you can find at least one species of the book of rare and threatened plants of Greece.

At the eastern entrance of the gorge there is an extended forest of pinus (Pinus brutia) which recovers after the incendies of 1984 and 1987. On the clearings (glade) and slopes of the forest there is the typical brushwood vegetation of Crete  like sage (Salvia fruticosa), the endemic Phlomis lanata , and thymes (Thymbra capitata), Genista acantholada  and lots of geophytes like Drimia numidica and Asphodelus ramosus. At the western entrance of the gorge we can observe typical riverside vegetation with osiers (Vitex agnus –castus), fig trees  (Ficus carica) and oleasters (Nerum oleander)  in combination with species like locusts (Ceratonia siliqua) and gorses (Pistacia lentisqus). Around the river there are contemporary crops of olive trees but also residues of older olive or almond crops.

However, the most interesting of all are the plants that occur in the interior of the gorge. We can find lots of chasmophytes(plants that grow vertically on the rocks) like the shrub Ptilostemon chamaepeuce, the brassicaceae species Brassica cretica and other endemic chasmophytic species of Crete like Ploumi (Ebenus cretica), Hypericum  amblycalyx and Securigera globosa.

Moreover, of great interest is Petromaroula (Petromaroula pinnata) one of the two endemic genus of Crete and also the Centaurea argentea subsp. argentea , a narrow endemic subspecies of eastern Crete that is characterized as a Threatened Low Concern(LC) species at the Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece.(2009).

Ebenus cretica

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Genista acantholada

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Salvia fruticosa

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Thymbra capitata

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Hypericum  amblycalyx

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Centaurea argentea subsp. argentea

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Petromaroula pinnata

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Brassica cretica

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The intensive and erosive power of water has opened the gorge of Ha in limestone plates.

The water that inserts the gorge derives from a  8km² water catchment area and it flows there from the highest parts around the Thripti settlement ( 500-1400 m height). At the first part of the gorge there is a cascade of 6m. To summarize, there are 26 cascades from which the biggest one is 30m high. Another cascade of 215m height, called Mastoras , is created vertically at the southest part of the gorge and it is one of the highest greek waterfalls .

Ha’s gorge is formated in the middle of the biggest rift of eastern Crete.

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I have never been to this gorge! It looks wonderful!

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The region of Mountain Thripti (1489m) is of a great aesthetical value , mainly in the south part with the forests of the east-Mediterranean pinus, Pinus brutia and also because of its high biological diversity. The mountain ridges between the mountain peaks Afentis (1476m), Kapsa (997m), Papoura (1010m), Koufoto (912m) , the ravines with water between them and also the plateau of Thripti , make the terrain very rough and create one of the most important natural habitat  of Crete mainly for birds of prey. Thripti is also a botanical paradise as  more than 60 species of endemic plants of crete are cited there. Three of them, Campanula hierapetrae, Helichrysum doerfleri and Minuartia wettsteinii are species that occur only in the mountain Thripti.The southern part part of Thripti is of a particular importance for the fauna of aves. The peaks of Koufoto and Katalimata Ag. Ioanni  constitute the reproduction sites of many aves, as the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) , the griffon vulture(Gyps fulvus),the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the peregrine falcon(Falco peregrinus).

On the western slopes of Thripti is situated the most impressive geological formation of isthmus of Ierapetra , the Gorge of Ha. The Italian antiquarian of Rennaisance Ciriaco de Pizzicolli or Cyriacus of Ancona(1391-1452) was the first who referred to the gorge after his visit in 1445.

Although the Ha gorge was a place of great inspiration for a lot of researchers and travellers it was firstly crossed in 1987.

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Ha Gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι Χά) is a narrow gorge, at the Monasteraki Dakos, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece. It is located in the west slope of Thrypti mountain range,and exits east of Vasiliki village in the plain of Ierapetra.From this location scenic views overlook Pahia Amos and the bay.Being practically inaccessible to people, the gorge maintains a rich and diverse flora and fauna. Its depth is about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and the fissure is said to be one of the largest in the world.
source: wikipedia

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photo-credit:obscura-lab.gr
Photo from the Ha Gorge.

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Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Kríti ['kriti]; ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the
Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea.

source:wiki

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Why is it important?
Islands are home to some 600 million people—one-tenth of the world's population. Many islanders are endowed with unique cultures and derive much of their economic, environmental and cultural well-being directly or indirectly from the rich natural resources in their immediate environment. Islands harbour numerous discrete ecosystems, from mountain forests to wetlands and beyond, that provide food, fresh water, wood, fibre, medicines, fuel, tools and other important raw materials, in addition to aesthetic, spiritual, educational and recreational values, that support island livelihoods, economies and cultures. Island ecosystems also contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem functions: they provide defence against natural disasters, support nutrient cycling, and soil and sand formation; and they contribute to the regulation of climate and diseases. Yet island biodiversity is not only of vital importance to island dwellers. Islands are repositories of genetic information whose present-day biodiversity stands as a record of millions of years of evolution. This biodiversity has an inherent value to humankind the world over.

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Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by three different groups of mountains:

The White Mountains or Lefka Ori 2,454 m

The Idi Range (Psiloritis 2,456 m )

Kedros 1,777 m

The Dikti Mountains 2,148 m

Thripti 1,489 m

These mountains lavished Crete with valleys, such as Amari valley, fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi plateau, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Gourgouthakas, Diktaion, and Idaion (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god Zeus); and a number of gorges.

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overexploitation of nature due to human profit (eg.tourism)

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Ελληνικό Τραγούδι

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Μαρία Φαραντούρη - Ο εφιάλτης της Περσεφόνης - Official Audio Release