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Theme 1: My HerpetoArea (Northern Greece)

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Theme 1: My HerpetoArea (Northern Greece)

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Northern Greece includes a plethora of wetlands and rivers which accommodate many reptile and amphibian species.

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Theme 1: Characteristic habitats of amphibian and reptile species

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Theme 1: Characteristic habitats of amphibian and reptile species

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River Nestos is one of the largest and most important rivers of Greece. Nestos springs from mount Rila in Bulgaria and has a 130km long route inside Greece's before it flows into the Thracian Sea. River Nestos accommodates 300 bird species, 30 species of birds of prey, 11 amphibian species, 21 reptile species and a large number of mammals at delta’s sea lakes. Nestos' delta accomodates 11 amphibian and 20 reptile species. Some of the amphibian species nesting in river Nestos' delta are: Bombina variegata, Ηyla arborea, Rana graeca. The delta hosts also tortoises such as Testudo graeca, Testudo hermanni, lizzards (Podarcis taurica, Lacerta viridis) and snakes (Elaphe quatuorlineata, Natrix tesselata).

http://www.topeiros.gr/portal/parousiasi/fisi-tourismos/124-deltanestou.html

http://www.mygreece.travel/en/things-to-see-and-do/nature/rivers/nestos.php

Photo: https://mapio.net/pic/p-3237233/

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Testudo graeca

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Natrix tesselata

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Theme 1: Characteristic habitats of amphibian and reptile species

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Theme 1: Characteristic habitats of amphibian and reptile species

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Evros Delta: Evros river springs also from mount Rlila in Bulgaria and has a total length of 528km. Evros is a natural border between Greece and Turkey and a wetland of great significance. The wetland of Evros Delta accommodates a wide range of animals, among them, 317 bird species wintering, migrating and breeding in its waters, 46 fish species and 40 mammal species. The region hosts also 7 species of amphibians with the most characteristic of them to be frogs such as Ranaridibunda and Rana dalmatina , Hyla arborea, and Bufo viridis and Bufo bufo in more dry areas. Also 21 species of reptiles are recorded in the area. Two species of terrapins are common (Mauremys caspica and Emys orbicularis) as well as watersnakes of the species Natrix tessellata.

http://www.evros-delta.gr/en/evros-delta/fauna/other-species

https://www.greece-travel-secrets.com/Evros-Delta.html

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Eryx jaculus

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Theme 1: Characteristic habitats of amphibian and reptile species

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Theme 1: Characteristic habitats of amphibian and reptile species

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Lake Kerkini stands in the north-west part of Serres Prefecture and constitutes one of the most important wetlands in Greece. The lake is ideal for birdwatching as it hosts more than 300 protected bird species but also accommodates at least 25 reptile species with the most characteristic of which:  the Balkan pond turtle (Mauremys rivulata), the European legless lizard (Pseudopus apodus), the javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus) and the grass snake (Natrix natrix)  and at least 11 amphibian species including the Eastern spadefoot (Pelobates syriacus) and salamander (Salamandra salamandra).

http://kerkini.gr/panida/?lang=en

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Theme 1: HerpetoArea relative to human settlements, industrialised regions

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Theme 1: HerpetoArea relative to human settlements, industrialised regions

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Although all three reagions (Nestos delta, Evros delta and Lake Kerkini) are near urban and rural areas, they are protected with domestic and european laws due to their huge ecological value. On the other hand, this doesn't prevent environmental degradation or other harming procedures caused by human activity (poaching, overfishing) from happening.

http://kerkini.gr/nomiko-kathestos/?lang=en

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Emys orbicularis

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Theme 1: Environmental degradation of the coastal zone of the west park of river Nestos Delta, N. Greece

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Theme 1: Environmental degradation of the coastal zone of the west park of river Nestos Delta, N. Greece

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Environmental degradation of the coastal zone of the west park of river Nestos Delta, N. Greece

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herpetofauna.gr - Ελληνική Ερπετοπανίδα

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Όλα τα Ερπετά και Αμφίβια της Ελλάδας με φωτογραφίες και βασικές πληροφορίες

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Hyla arborea

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Mauremys rivulata

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http://www.elerpe.org/b_home_en.php

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Pelobates syriacus

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Rana temporaria
Rana temporaria lives in a small region of Mt. Rodopi in Northern Greece. Although it is widely distributed in Europe, populations of Rana temporaria in Greece occur only in Rodopi, where they exibit a fragmentated distribution. This is the reason why this Least Concern species is Classified as Vulnerable in Greece.

The species lives in woodlands and reproduces in little temporary lakes, streams and swamps. Reproduction takes place during spring and summer, while the animals hibernate in cavities in ground and muddy substrates. Rana temporaria is mostly active at night and eats mostly invertebrates.

Threats: The species is threatened by habitat loss and degradation due to extensive logging, wild fires and intensive drought periods resulted from climate-change.

Info: Red book of endangered species http://www.ypeka.gr/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=lkGCh8o5t8o%3d&tabid=518&language=el-GR

http://www.herpetofauna.gr/index.php?module=cats&page=read&id=232&sid=219

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Bufo viridis

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Salamandra salamandra

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A few lizard and snake fossils from the late Miocene have been found in Ravin de la Pluie (Axios Valley, Greece). These findings represent the first squamate fossil findings of this area. Lizard foundings include Varanus sp. (Neogene monitor lizard) and a large anguid and the snake foundings include a the elapid Naja cf. romani and a small-sized ‘‘colubrine’’. The varanid limb bones indicate that European Neogene monitor lizard may had robust legs. The new findings provide new information about the distribution of these taxa in southeastern Europe.

http://fossilworks.org/?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=64932

http://fossilworks.org/?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=64932

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00015-017-0291-2

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Theme 2: Assess the problem (glacial-intergalcial periods)

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Theme 2: Assess the problem (glacial-intergalcial periods)

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During the glacial periods, low temperatures had an impact on animals from central and northern Europe. Some species became extinct, some others tried to cope with the new conditions on spot, while, during time, some features that protected those animals from the cold, were selected and prevailed (e.g. thicker fur, extra layers of fat etc.). A great number of animal species, though, was forced to migrate to find shelter and food to the South. As years went by, these animals became part of the local communities and food chains and integrated so well in their surroundings, that when interglacial periods came, some (but not all) species or members of the species went back where they came from. Τhat's the reason, in my opinion, of high endemism in Northern Europe and especially in the peninsulas.

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Only a few fossils of amphibians have been found in Greece. Some of the few amphibian fossils of Greece, were found in Plakias, Crete and they are believed to come from the earliest late Miocene. Among other findings (two turtles (a pan-trionychid and a geoemydid) and two squamates (an amphisbaenian and a colubroid snake)), an anuran from the Alytidae family and a crocodilian were found. Both findings provide significant information about the fauna of the region, with the presence of the crocodilian to be the first recorded in the country and one of the latest occurances of the group on Europe in general.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016699516300973

https://amphibiaweb.org/taxonomy/treeview.html

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Testudo hermanni

Testudo hermanni or Hermann's tortoise is a species mostly found in southeastern mediterranean Europe. In Greece it is widespread especially in lowlands away from settlements. The Greek population is probably larger than every other country's. The species inhabits a variety of Mediterranean habitats: from heathlands and maquis to open forests and pasture lands. Despite its wide distribution, Testudo hermanni is considered Vulnerable in Greece because of the many threats it undergoes, with intensive agriculture, summer fires and lowlands exploitation to be the most significant. Expand of the national road network has an impact on the species population, as a great number of Hermann's tortoises is killed by vehicles.

Info: Red book of endangered species http://www.ypeka.gr/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=pP7hNCwyIcE%3d&tabid=518&language=el-GR

http://www.herpetofauna.gr/index.php?module=cats&page=read&id=70

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Theme 2: Greece's endemic reptile species

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Theme 2: Greece's endemic reptile species

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Greece has 9 endemic reptile species. Four of them (Podarcis peloponnesiacus, Anguis cephallonica , Algyroides moreoticus , Hellenolacerta graeca) are found in Peloponnese, two in Milos (Podarcis milensis , Macrovipera schweizeri) one in the islands Pori and Lagouvardos north of Antikythera (Podarcis levendis), one in Skyros (Podarcis gaigeae ) and one in Crete  (Podarcis cretensis).

http://lntreasures.com/greecer.html

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Theme 2: Greece's endemic amphibian species

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Theme 2: Greece's endemic amphibian species

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Greece has 3 endemic amphibian species. One salamander found in Karpathos (Lyciasalamandra helverseni) and two Rana Anurans, found in Karpathos (Pelophylax cerigensis) and Crete (Pelophylax cretensis).

http://lntreasures.com/greecea.html

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Triturus ivanbureschi

The Balkan crested newt(Triturus ivanbureschi) is a member of the Triturus genus, was originally described as a subspeciesof the southern crested newt, "Triturus karelinii arntzeni" and when genetic data became available it was considered a full species.

Distribution: Triturus ivanbureschi is districuted in southeastern Balkan peninula and western Anatolia. Balkan crested newt is found in North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Northern Greece, Eastern Thrace and an isolated population found in Serbia too.

Habitat: Usually lives in high altitude woods. It's mainly a nocturnal animal. It uses little ponds and slightly running waters for its reproduction in the spring.

Physiology: Maximum length up to 18cm. Larvae metamorphosis usually lasts three to four months. Sexual maturity starts after 3rd to 5th year with a life expectancy of 8-15 years and females live longer than males. Hibernation starts on September or October, depending the temperature.

http://www.herpetofauna.gr/index.php?module=cats&page=read&id=202

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFSC28gjrvs

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Zootoca vivipara

Zootoca vivipara, or viviparous lizard, is a widely distributed species throughout Europe and northern Asia covering a north to south range from Italy to northern Russia. It is the only lizard species found in Ireland.

Habitat: The species have been found in a variety of different habitats including grasslands, open woodlands, meadows, stream edges, coasts and rural gardens.

Physiology: Viviparous lizards' colour vary between grey, brown, red, green, or black. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males being brightly colored in yellows, blues, oranges, and greens. Sexually mature males also have a thicker tail base compared to females. Sexually mature adults of both sexes typically weigh between 2 to 5 g, with total lengths of 50 to 77 mm. (Crews and Gans, 1992; Smith, 1964)

Development: Zootoca vivipara is the only known lizard species to give live birth and to lay eggs. When placed in different environments, females behave differently. In northern Spain, adjacent France, Austria, Italy and Slovenia, the female lays between one and 13 eggs in a single clutch, but they are being born a few days apart. In the northern portion of the range and at high altitude it is viviparous, in the southern portion it is oviparous. For oviparous individuals the egg development takes about 3 months. Mosts viviparous lizards live 5 to 6 years.

Reproduction: The species reaches sexual maturity at 2 years (females a little earlier). Males choose their mates by their skin colour. More blunt colours provide higher survival chances to the descendents due to better camouflage. Both males and females have multiple mates. Although oviparous individuals lay 7 to 70 eggs, only 5 to 8 survive.

Anti-predator adaptations: Zootoca vivipara has developed cryptic mechanisms, in order to avoid its most common predators, that are first and foremost snakes and then hedgehogs, domestic dogs and domestic and feral cats that eat juvenile lizards.

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61741/12552141#habitat-ecology

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Zootoca_vivipara/

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It's a pleasure to get to meet people and learn about the fauna of all these special areas around Europe and the whole world. Once again this course brought together people from very different backgrounds and enriched our knowlegde about places that we never have (or may never will) visit.

One observation I made was confirmed by the theory provided in this theme: the southern we get, the more endemic species we encounter. It is obvious from the padlets of my colearners, that HerpetoAreas from northern Europe (Belgium, Great Britain) have less endemic species than the ones in the peninsulas in southern Europe (the Iberian, the Italian and the Balkan peninsulas with Greece to be its hot spot).

I think that when all padlets are ready we will be able to do better comparisons and get to conclusions.

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Theme 4: Extinction Risks and the Conservation of Madagascar's Reptiles

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Theme 4: Extinction Risks and the Conservation of Madagascar's Reptiles

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Madagascar is a known biodiversity hotspot, accommodating a great number of endemic species. Due to economical and political instability, the country struggles to maintain the remaining forests and protect the island's biodiversity.
Logging and non-timber crops are the major threats to the local environment leading to habitat degradation while reptiles removal from the island for intermational trade and human consumption nearly threaten some species.

We, as a civil society, have to do something about that.

It is obvious that the establishment of protected areas had little impact in the actual protection of the area. A research proved that the managers of 26 national parks, reported that protected areas have been able to reduce the main threats to biodiversity, including deforestation, poaching, forest fires, and livestock grazing, while they lacked knowledge about trends in biodiversity.

It is important for local managers, who are the key authority implementing management practices, to get constantly informed by researchers about the conservation status of several local species. Stronger management, obvious and clear borders, better patrolling and monitoring and better collaboration with the local stakeholders are crucial measures that can be taken in order to achieve better protection of the National Parks.

The involvement of the local communities is also very important. The previous example convinced us that impersonal lows and protected parks existing only in papers, don't work. Community involvement is more important (and effective) from sanctions or compensation schemes. In fact the village of Manombo in the Melaky region , on the west coast of Madagascar, is one of the several models in the world, where the local community and WWF work together to preserve the mangroves.

This is a great example for all of us to follow!

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Theme 4: Possible degradation in the HerpetoArea

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Theme 4: Possible degradation in the HerpetoArea

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Most reptile and amphibian endemic species of Greece can be found in southern Greece (Peloponnese, Cyclades, Crete). Northern Greece, though, due to its wetlands, forests and mountains, accommodates a number of reptile and amphibian species too. Unfortunately people always tend to ruin the balance between nature and its inhabitants.
During the 1980's a notable expansion of irrigated agricultural land and the establishment of animal farms in lowlands took place. Urban areas became larger, coastal areas got urbanised, rivers have been diverted and a lot small scale irrigation projects have continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Studies have documented the loss of wetlands on Greek mainland during different periods of the 20th century. In the same time, there was an abandonment of traditional cultivations in slopes of higher elevations, reduction in crop diversity, abandonment of livestock grazing patterns in mountainous areas and forests, intensification of fisheries and aquaculture, which continue until now. Air and soil along with forest fires have also a major effect on biodiversity. In addition to all these, the construction of the national road network in the whole of the territory was taking place throughout the 1990's and 2000's, contributing in possible habitat degradation and fragmentation in several areas of the Greek territory.

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As mentioned before herpetofauna is very a susceptible group of animals.There is a list of threats to these animals which can start with habitat loss. Amphibians are particularly susceptible to alterations in their terrestrial or aquatical environment due to their life cycle. That's why the extended wetland draining effects their populations. Ampibians are also threatened by the chemicals used in pesticides and herbicides, which can pass through the permeable skin of the amphibians and have an impact on their development or even cause death. But contemporary agriculture methods threat herpetofauna otherwise too. The conversion of medowlands to ruralareas disrupts the habitat of a lot of reptiles which are forced to move and find other places to live. A lot of other human activities such as mining or industry development threaten animals' habitats, while people trespass fragile environments for recreational purposes. And a great number of individuals gets killed trying to cross roads.

A great threat to the indigenus fauna (and not only herpetofauna) is alien invasive species. Usually released into the wild as unwanted pets, a great number of reptile or amphibian species became invasive (even threaten to extinction local populations) in environments that had no ways to deal with them.

Many times foreign species inhabiting new environments carry pathogens (such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) or B. salamandrivorans (Bsal) for amphibians) causing diseases in the local populations. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is considered a plague to amphibian populations all over the world and has affected amphibian populations in Greece too.

Overexploitation (for food, fashion, pet trade) is another threat to herpetofauna, but in Greece there is no such use except from frog legs eating in Ioannina. The exploitation of beaches where the Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) lays its eggs is more severe.

Last but not least, climate change is (once again) a big threat to herpetofauna. Amphibians and reptiles are very vulnerable to the effects of climate change because they are ectotherms and temperature and huidity are great contributors to their activity. Climate change has caused extinction of lizard populations worldwide. Vipera graeca, the Greek meadow viper, is an example of habitat loss due to temperature elevation. As temperature rises, V. graeca, which lives in alpine meadows, has to climb in higher elevations in order to find its suitable conditions. V. graeca is considered Endangered (EN) because its distribution covers an area less than 500 km2 in a fragmentated and degraded habitat. This is definitely a sign of climate change.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324231766_The_distribution_of_meadow_and_steppe_vipers_Vipera_graeca_V_renardi_and_V_ursinii

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Theme 4: Strategies to help face the threats 

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Theme 4: Strategies to help face the threats 

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Greek state and EU have taken measures in order to protect biodiversity and consequently herpetofauna, including the 2002 National Strategy for Sustainable Development and a number of other national strategies along with the Natura 2000 network. Around 12% of the terrestrial area is protected, as reported to the European Common Database of Designated Areas. These policies are important but unfortunately not sufficient to stop all (or even some of) the forementioned threats.

There are already some organisations such as the Archelon, which are fighting to protect sea turtles Caretta caretta by protecting nesting beaches from human activities, rescue and take care of hurt turtles and contribute in the general protection of the endangered species. Such organisations do remarkable work in raising awareness on animal protection.

Reducing soil and air polution and use of chemical pesticides can also reduce the pressure put on the local populations of amphibians and reptiles.

Apart from the citizens' part, the state should make more strict lows about pet releases in the wild and fight excessive draining by constructing artificial ponds in several spots of herpetofaunal interest. Also there could be scouting campaings to assess if the populations of amphibian and reptiles suffer from pathogens in order to start immunisation campaings following the Mallorca example.

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Theme 5: Business plan of a local voluntary organisation which aims to protect the local herpetofauna 

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Theme 5: Business plan of a local voluntary organisation which aims to protect the local herpetofauna 

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Despite being great indicators of the quality of the ecosystems, reptiles and amphibians are often misunderstood by humans.People's actions often hurt or threat amphibians' or reptiles' lives either without their knowlegde (pollution, use of chemicals in pesticides, releasing unwanted pets into the wild which turn to be invasive) or on purpose (uncontrolled -and unnecessary- killings of harmless reptiles due to fear). In order for this to stop, local voluntary organisations can help by bringing people closer to nature in general and herpetofauna in particular.
Voluntary organisations can organise information campaigns including leaflet sharing and/or documentary showing to the local communities about local herpetofauna and ways to protect it. Such campaigns shoud be part of the educational programms in schools too. The organisation could schedule expeditions to local “herpetofaunal hotspots” like lake Kerkini, Rodopi Mountain-Range Park or Evros and Nestos river deltas, where the citizens can come closer to the local species or even discuss with experts and scientists about the value of the herpetofauna and the benefits of keeping the natural balance and being aware of the impact our actions have to the environment. Similar expeditions could aim in cleaning areas that accommodate reptiles or amphibians from rubbish or just dry leaves which could cause fire.

Another step in involving local community in protecting wild life would include scientists teaching in seminars a few ways to identify local species, in order to prevent unneccessary fear and violent incidents against animals. Local residents could also participate in an attempt to record local herpetofauna and its positions via a Citizen Science project. The organisation can make or use a platform like HerpMapper, where everyone can share an observation about the local herpetofauna and potentially help scientific research by providing statistical data. And finally, unless this disturbs the ecosystem balance and always under scientific supervision, local community and the environmental organisation could build little ponds and wet sheldters for amphibians and nests for reptiles.

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Comparing my Business plan to my other colleagues I can find similarities and differences. All the three of us: me, Dimitra and Giannis (GR) spoke about the significance of education and informative campaigns either in schools or by events (documentary screenings, posters, speeches, excursions in nature), where local people will be able to find out and learn some things about the value of the local Herpetofauna and stop activities that threaten local amphibian and reptile populations such as pollution which is harmful to amphibians, or unnecessary killings of harmless snakes. Some of us spoke about cleaning herpetofaunal ecotopes, or Citizen Science, both helpful to our aim. Some others (like Alexander GR) had the idea of involving local residents by raising money for the financial support of the organisation, or using old constructions (like old military camps) to transform them into reptile and amphibian shelters like Andrea (DE) suggested. There are also examples of industrial business plans, such as Mishkat's, where he proposes a way to produce large scale antivenom serum.

Conclusively, most of us consider education and of course action as keystones to the protection of wild nature in general and local herpatofauna specifically.

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My report for the group assignment (group 3) 

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My report for the group assignment (group 3) 

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Part of the group assignment (Northern Greece)