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Being familiar with natural environment in Greece was for me very interesting to learn about Bio Areas of other countries, especially outside Europe.
https://padlet.com/marianne_sammison/ev1ky8fylty?utm_campaign=transactional&utm_content=view_padlet&utm_medium=email&utm_source=started_a_padlet
https://padlet.com/marleytgr/idr4auld0wgi.  Both BioAreas are looking excellent!

Biodiversity richness is common in countries of Mediterranean area. And unfortunately share similar threats and pressures like invasive species and unsustainable mass tourism development.

Some other padlets need improvement like this one https://padlet.com/daphnechatz/nl3y1fitzcdo

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Caretta caretta is listed as Vulnerable (VU) according to IUCN. An emblematic species of the Greek seas, the Loggerhead is the most common sea turtle species in the Mediterranean, nesting on sandy beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya. Many of their nesting beaches are under threat from tourism development.
Climate change and loss of nesting beaches are among the top threats to the future of these magnificent ancient mariners in Earth.

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A parasitic species - Cuscuta rausii (Convolvulaceae)

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A parasitic species - Cuscuta rausii (Convolvulaceae)

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Cuscuta rausii , a species of Cuscuta L. subgenus Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae) from the southern Aegean island of Karpathos.
Cuscuta L. is a subcosmopolitan genus comprising ca. 150 species of annual or perennial holoparasitic plants.They are predominantly parasitic on shrubby species of the genera Genista L., Cytisus L. and Erinacea Adans (García, M. A. et al., 1998)

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Sciurus vulgaris lives and nests in deciduous and coniferous forests. These squirrels prefer to live in large, mature trees that can provide them with an abundant supply of food in the form of seeds or acorns. Trees chosen as nesting sites usually have hollowed out cavities or large holes in their trunks which can be used as nests.

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Wildlife over exploitation - Mediterranean Fish Stocks in Steady Decline

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Wildlife over exploitation - Mediterranean Fish Stocks in Steady Decline

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A variety of fish stocks across the Mediterranean Sea are being rapidly depleted due to overfishing.
You can learn more about fisheries, alien species, human and aquatic ecosytems on https://isea.com.gr

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Natura 2000 network in Greece comprise 239 Special Areas of Conservation - SAC (green color), 181 Special Protection Areas - SPA (red color) and 26 areas characterized both as SPA and SAC.

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 Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation or habitat degradation

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 Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation or habitat degradation

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Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation is observed in Greece due to large infrastructure projects, due to grazing and development of tourism facilities.
Major threat to large carnivores populations in Greece is the ongoing habitat fragmentation due to the construction of closed highways.
Habitat of phrygana with Sarcopoterium spinosum (habitat 5420)has undergone degradation due to overgrazing. In south Crete vast areas with degradated phrygana can be observed.
The overall conservation status for Greece was assessed as U1 - inadequate for Coastal dunes with Juniperus spp. (habitat 2250). Among main threats and pressures for the habitat were reported  urbanised areas, human habitation, grazing,  outdoor sports and leisure activities, recreational activities.

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The LIFE-IP 4 NATURA project, the first Life Integrated Project (LIFE IP) ever approved for Greece, is the most important nature conservation project of the last decades for the country.
Learn more on http://edozoume.gr/

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Carnivores - herbivores
Example: The wolf (Canis lupus) that became extinct in many countries of Central and Western Europe, is on the list of protected species under the Bern convention and a priority species below the 39° parallel in Greece, listed in Annex II of theHabitat’s Directive.
Livestock still encompass the major food source for the species due to the low wild ungulate abundance.

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Parasitic organism - Endengered species - Invasive species - Climate change

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Parasitic organism - Endengered species - Invasive species - Climate change

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The populations of P. nobilis have been greatly reduced due to anthropogenic and environmental threats and it has been listed as an endangered and protected species under the European Council
Directive 92/43/EEC (EEC, 1992).
Among the threats identified in the review of Basso et al. (2015) for the already endangered populations of P. nobilis, they included contaminants, invasive species, the climate change and mainly the degradation of Posidonia meadows.
Haplosporidan parasites have been detected infecting species of bivalves, gastropods, crustacean, worms, ascidians and even hyperparasiting trematode larvae (reviewed by Burreson and Ford (2004) and Arzul and Carnegie (2015)), but until recently they were never reported in a member of Pinnoidea Superfamily.
In the Greek seas the massive mortality of the Pina population began to be observed this summer. In areas of the northern Aegean, more than 90% of the population has already been destroyed, while reports of mass mortality are found in many other regions of Greece. Fortunately, so far is still healthy populations of the species in the northern Dodecanese.
Although the appearance of Haplosporidum pinnae has not yet been identified, it is believed that the presence of some alien species may transmit the parasite to the water. Pina does not have any physical protection against it, so it is fully exposed to this parasite.

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Ailanthus altissima is a small to medium-sized tree of the mostly tropical Quassia family.
Ailanthus altissima is a very aggressive plant, a prolific seed producer (up to 350,000 seeds in a year), grows rapidly, and can overrun native vegetation. It also produces toxins that prevent the establishment of other plant species. The root system is aggressive enough to cause damage to sewers and foundations.

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Greece’sbiodiversity at risk - Species of Greece BioArea that appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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Greece’sbiodiversity at risk - Species of Greece BioArea that appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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Greecehosts 42% of all the mammals that occur in Europe.Of these 97 species of mammals, 13%*are threatened at the European level and at least an additional 8% are considered Near Threatened.

13% of the reptile species that occur in Greece are considered threatened at the European level.

19% of the amphibian species in Greece are threatened at the European level.

43% of the species that occur in Greece are threatened at the European level, while the percentage of total threatened species that is observed in the European region is 40%*.

Greece hosts 50% of all butterfly species in Europe and 2%*of them are considered threatened at the European level. The country hosts the fourth highest number of species in Europe. The conservation status of butterflies in Greece based on the European Red List data is relatively good since approximately 87% of the species are classified as Least Concern.

8%  all the dragonflies in  Europe are present in Greece. Avery clear concentration of threatened species of dragonflies occurs in the Balkan Peninsula. In Greece,18%*of the dragonflies are considered threatened and 9% are considered as Near Threatened at the European level.

49%  of the beetle species assessed by the European Red List are present in Greece. Approximately 10%*of the species in this group are considered threatened at the European level, but none of them are Critically Endangered.

Twenty-three percent of terrestrial molluscs assessed by the European Red List are present in Greece. 8%of the terrestrial molluscs assessed that are present in Greece are threatened and 6% are Near Threatened at the European level.

Freshwater molluscs - Forty-two percent*of the species assessed are considered threatened and 5% are Near Threatened at the European level.

12% of the 667 vascular plant species assessed in Greece are considered threatened at the European level.

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Monachus monachus (Endangered (EN) according to IUCN).

Mediterranean monk seals spend most of their lives at sea looking for food. Recent scientific research has shown that a large part of their diet consist of octopi. Monk seals can travel significant distances at sea in a short time period (i.e., 150 nautical miles in 3 months) and dive to depths down to 200 m starting at a very young age.

The preferred terrestrial habitat used by monk seals are well-protected marine caves found along remote and inaccessible stretches of coastline. Suitable caves have one or more above-surface or underwater entrances that lead to a main resting area with a beach or a flat, rocky surface. According to the information currently available, monk seals in Greece use the caves mainly at night, and cave usage increases significantly during the pupping season and in the winter. During the first months of their lives, young monk seal pups spend a lot of time on the beach or in the water inside the cave. Monk seal survival seems to be very dependent on the existence of suitable pupping caves.

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Eagles, falcons - small birds, reptiles

Example: The diet of the Eleonora's falcon until the end of July, when the egg-laying has been completed, consists mainly of big insects, such as butterflies, flying ants, dragonflies, cicadas and beetles that it catches in the air with its talons, above islands or the sea (Ristow and Wink 1994, Ristow 2001). During the following period and until October, it feeds exclusively on migratory birds, a food source that is, theoretically, infinite. After its breeding, between the end of October and the beginning of November, it flies to East Africa, especially to Madagascar, where it spends the winter, returning to a diet based on insects.

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Falco-eleonorae_©ΓιώργοςΚατσαδωράκης_ΟΡΝΙΘΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ

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Management actions- Reintroducing grey wolves into the Yellowstone National Park

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Management actions- Reintroducing grey wolves into the Yellowstone National Park

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The wolves were brought in because the increased elk population was overgrazing the deciduous, woody species such as aspen and cottonwood.

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In Greece, the edges of the mountainous ecosystems (tree line) have been heavily influenced by human activities, especially through overgrazing and the exploitation of forests. These pressures have dropped a great deal and natural regeneration has reclaimed forest areas.

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The forests of Greece, as well as of the rest of the Mediterranean region, have been exposed to human activity. As a result, coastal forests and forests located in low altitude have been degraded due to their urbanisation and conversion into agricultural land.

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The Natura 2000 Award is designed to reward excellence in the management of Natura 2000 sites and showcase the added value of the network for local economies. It pays tribute to all those who are working tirelessly on making Natura 2000 an operational success whilst drawing public attention to its substantial achievements.

Reconciling interests / perceptions Award

2018 Reconciling interests / perceptions category winner: Co-existing with bears in the 21st century: Difficulties and achievements

Applicant: Callisto

Location: Greece

Natura 2000 site: Koryfes Orous Grammos

Website: http://www.callisto.gr/life-arctoskastoria-life09-natgr000333

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Regarding Greece’s fauna, until now 23130 animal species have been recorded in the country’s terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, of which 3956 are characterised as Greek endemics. Furthermore, 3500  animal species have been recorded in the Greek marine  environment.  Approximately  14%  of  all  vertebrate  species  are  considered endangered.

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What are the main threats to biodiversity?

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What are the main threats to biodiversity?

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The direct causes of the loss of biodiversity in Greece:

Loss, modification degradation and fragmentation of natural and semi -natural habitats

Unsustainable practices used in several types of production activities

Climate change

Soil, water and air pollution

Biological Invasions

Forest fires

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Why is biodiversity important for Greece ?

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Why is biodiversity important for Greece ?

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According  to  the  most  recent  surveys,  Greek  flora  includes  5752  species  and  1893 subspecies of vascular plants, which cumulatively represent 6600 taxa that belong to 1072 genera and 185 families. Greece is also one of the world’s hotspots for endemic plants,  with  1278  endemic  species  (22.2%  of  all  species  present)  and  452  endemic subspecies,  which  cumulatively  represent  1461  taxa  (22.1%  of  all  taxa  present  in Greece).

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Conservation and sustainable use of Natura 2000

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Conservation and sustainable use of Natura 2000

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Natura 2000 is not a system of strict nature reserves from which all human activities would be excluded. While it includes strictly protected nature reserves, most of the land remains privately owned. The approach to conservation and sustainable use of the Natura 2000 areas is much wider, largely centered on people working with nature rather than against it. However, Member States must ensure that the sites are managed in a sustainable manner, both ecologically and economically.

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Natura 2000 is a network of core breeding and resting sites for rare and threatened species, and some rare natural habitat types which are protected in their own right. It stretches across all 28 EU countries, both on land and at sea. The aim of the network is to ensure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats, listed under both the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive.

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Due to the great range of climatic and geomorphologic conditions, species and ecosystems diversity is high. Greece entirely lies in the Mediterranean biogeographical region, with ecosystems ranging from semi-desert and maquis, to cold climate mountain forests of birch, scots pine and spruce. Wetlands (rivers, estuaties, deltas, lagoons, shallow lakes, shallow marine formations, and marshes) cover a relatively wide area (210.000 hectares) and forests cover nearly 30% of the country's territory.
About two-thirds of the Greek territory is covered by a hilly or mountainous terrain, with the typical landscape being rugged and steep. Greece has a very extensive coastline of about 15.000 kilometres and about 3.000 islands, which represent 20% of the land area. The coastline is mainly rocky and sandy with about 5% wetlands.

http://www.ypeka.gr

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Lucanus cervus is one of the most charismatic saproxylic beetles, widely distributed in Europe. The species is typical of mature deciduous forests, especially oak woodlands. Loss and fragmentation of suitable habitats is one of the major threats for this species which is included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. Is the largest saproxylic beetle in Europe. Populations of this species inhabit mature deciduous forests, especially the lowland and medium-altitude oak woodlands having rotten dead wood at ground level.