Characterised by a rich habitat mosaic on a network of low hills in a transitional climate zone between the Mediterranean and the continental, the DNP extends over an area of 42,800ha in Evros Prefecture. It is located at the easternmost edge of a huge forested area that extends all the way west and north along the Rhodope mountain range, while major forested areas are absent for hundreds of kilometres eastwards. Pine trees predominate in the area of the National Park, forming coniferous forests of Pinus brutia, with P. nigra found at the lowest altitudes of its known distribution, while mixed and deciduous forests also occur over a large expanse. Geologically, the northern part of the DNP is dominated by Tertiary ophiolith complexes, while the south mainly consists of Paleogene volcanic and sedimentary rocks.The location of the DNP, on one of the most important migration routes for birds of the Western Palearctic, makes this forest one of the few regions in Europe cohabitated by 36 out of the 38 European raptor species, where three of the four European species of vulture (Aegypius monachus, Neophron percnopterus and Gyps fulvus) co-exist. The resident Black Vulture population in particular is of great importance, as it is the last remnant of an initially large population of the species within the Balkan region, while the presence of the endangered Egyptian vulture is also significant.

source :whc.unesco.org
https://youtu.be/Xj7vadGWvlI

The Samariá Gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι Σαμαριάς or just Φάραγγας) is a National Park of Greece since 1962 on the island of Crete and a World's Biosphere Reserve.The gorge is in southwest Crete in the regional unit of Chania. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. While some say that the gorge is 18 km long, this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but one has to walk another three kilometers to Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 16 km long. The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Gates (or, albeit incorrectly, as "Iron Gates"), where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of almost 300 meters (980 feet). The gorge became a national park in 1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare kri-kri (Cretan goat), which is largely restricted to the park and an island just off the shore of Agia Marina. There are several other endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.

 

Το δάσος χαρακτηρίζεται ως “παρθένο”, γιατί σε αυτό υπήρξε ελάχιστη ή καθόλου ανθρώπινη δραστηριότητα κατά τα τελευταία τουλάχιστον 500 χρόνια. Αυτή είναι και μια μοναδικότητα που δεν τη συναντάμε σε κανένα άλλο δάσος της Ελλάδας. Κηρύχτηκε διατηρητέο μνημείο της φύσης ήδη από το 1980.

Το Παρθένο Δάσος Φρακτού έχει έκταση 11.000 στρεμμάτων περίπου, και αποτελεί τμήμα του δασικού συμπλέγματος Φρακτού, το οποίο έχει συνολική έκταση 120.000 στρεμμάτων περίπου. Στην περιφέρεια του παρθένου δάσους υπάρχει μία δασική ζώνη πολύ ήπιας – οικολογικής ανθρώπινης δραστηριότητας, όπου επιτρέπεται μόνο η παραγωγή ξύλου και η αναψυχή.

Μέσα στο παρθένο δάσος βρίσκουμε πεζοπορικά μονοπάτια, καθώς και σκεπαστούς χώρους ξεκούρασης σε συγκεκριμένα σημεία, όπου μπορούν να καταφεύγουν οι επισκέπτες όταν βρέχει, κάτι που συμβαίνει συχνά, ακόμη και το καλοκαίρι, λόγω του υψηλού υψόμετρου και της πλούσιας, άγριας βλάστησης του δάσους. Μέσα από το παρθένο δάσος περνάει και η διαδρομή του τοπικού υπερμαραθώνιου Virgin Forest Trail (VFT).

In http://www.patrimoniocultural.gov.pt/