Με επίκεντρο τις εθνικές και ευρωπαϊκές προτεραιότητες της δασικής πολιτικής όπως διαμορφώνονται στο πλαίσιο της Ευρωπαϊκής Πράσινης Συμφωνίας και της Ευρωπαϊκής Στρατηγικής για τη Βιοποικιλότητα σε συνάρτηση με την Εθνική Στρατηγική για τα Δάση, διοργανώθηκε με μεγάλη επιτυχία η διαδικτυακή θεματική ημερίδα με τίτλο «Χρηματοδοτικό Πρόγραμμα LIFE και Δάση: Πραγματικότητα, Προκλήσεις και Ανάγκες στη Δασική Διαχείριση στην Ελλάδα του 21ου αιώνα». Η ημερίδα  συνδιοργανώθηκε από το Πράσινο Ταμείο, την Ελληνική Task Force για το Πρόγραμμα LIFE και το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Βιοτόπων – Υγροτόπων (ΕΚΒΥ). Πραγματοποιήθηκε  την Παρασκευή 27 Νοεμβρίου 2020, με τη συμμετοχή περισσότερων από 300 ατόμων, εκπροσώπων από τη Δασική Υπηρεσία, την περιφερειακή και τοπική αυτοδιοίκηση, περιβαλλοντικών οργανώσεων ειδικών επιστημόνων,  και φοιτητών από όλη τη χώρα.

Στόχος της ημερίδας ήταν η διάχυση και αξιοποίηση των αποτελεσμάτων των έργων LIFE από τους αρμόδιους φορείς της κεντρικής, της περιφερειακής διοίκησης και της αυτοδιοίκησης, αλλά και όλων όσοι εμπλέκονται με τη διαχείριση των δασών και τις υπηρεσίες που παρέχουν. Κατά τη διάρκειά της έγινε αναδρομή στις θεματικές δασικής διαχείρισης και διακυβέρνησης, στις οποίες έχει συνεισφέρει το Πρόγραμμα LIFE στην Ελλάδα από το 1992. Παρουσιάστηκαν επίσης έργα που υλοποιούνται, όπως το έργο ForestLife ή έχουν ολοκληρωθεί στο πλαίσιο του Προγράμματος LIFE και προσεγγίζουν σύγχρονες περιβαλλοντικές προκλήσεις, όπως η κλιματική αλλαγή, οι πυρκαγιές, οι φωτιές, οι πλημμύρες και θέματα διαχείρισης – προστασίας – ανασύστασης, γενετικής παρακολούθησης, αλλά και διακυβέρνησης του τομέα των δασών.

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Organisation of exhibitions. Forest Service archive.

Broadcasting news about science, technology but more about environmental issues and especially for unsustainable practices that presented in recent decades, may have a positive impact on public beliefs. But a series of conditions must also be met.

For USA Seyranian et al. (2015) and for Australia Kolandai-Matchett (2009) showed that the impact of this news on public opinion depends on the type and popularity of the media and the type and details of the media content. Where specific objectives pursued awareness on environmental issues,  a first important step is to is to reach trust and understanding between stakeholders. To this end, it is crucial to select the appropriate communication tools, to develop a common ground and a plain language of communication. For example photographs of people facing sever direct effects of climate change, can create an emotional connection to what may otherwise be viewed as a natural problem (Findlay 2020).These are becoming more and more necessary as the environmental crisis presents increasing complexity and interconnections at every level and aspect. Thus, the media, whether “traditional” or “new”, can contribute positively to public perceptions and ultimately promote environmental policies.

Video presenting reforestation process.

Beyond the selection of the the appropriate tools and strategies, it is essential to bear in mind that environmental issues demand scientific and technical knowledge in order to provide valid and timely information. Furthermore, the appropriate scientific and technical training of journalists facilitates the cooperation with experts in environmental issues, in order to achieve the widest possible information of the public. However, a research carried out in Australia in 2009 by Kolan dai-Matchett showed that only a small number of journalists covering environmental issues have the necessary knowledge and background and this is, perhaps, the main reason why there is a lack of environmental news reports. Focusing on communicating forest research. As regards Greece, Skamnakis and Kostarella (2018) report that the number of environmental issues raised by the media is limited.

If this is the case for journalists and the media, experts also need to make their way, by identifing the most important issues that must reach the general public. Focusing on forest science, the number of journalists and media outlets who invest the time and resources for in-depth research – which is needed to write about complex issues such as science – is decreasing  (IUFRO News, Volume 49, Issue 9, 2020). Communicators can support researchers to break down the complexity of their messages and get their information to their audiences. A recent example of such an effort is a report prepared by the Ministerial Conference for European Forests (Forest Europe), entitled «Adaptation to climate change in sustainable forest management in Europe.” The report clearly depicts the need for a constant flow of information to the public about the impact of climate change on forests, but also stress the need for a broad dissemination about how Europeans foresters react to climate change and how they prepare the forests to prevent future damages. Background social studies may also contribute substantially to an effective communication strategy. For example in Italy Carrus et al. (2020) after conducting a research funded by the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology,  found that the public overestimates the presence of forests, something that may enhance a trend of underestimation of the needs for forest conservation.

References

Carrus, G., A. Panno, J. Aragones, M. Marchetti, R. Motta, G. Tonon and G. Sanesi 2020. Public perceptions of forests across Italy: an exploratory national survey. iForest – Biogeosciences and Forestry 13: 323-328.

Findlay, Alyssa. 2020. Documenting climate change. Nature Climate Change. 10: 882-887.

FOREST EUROPE 2020. Adaptation to Climate Change in Sustainable Forest Management in Europe, Liaison Unit Bratislava, Zvolen, 2020.

IUFRO, 2020. IUFRO News, Volume 49, Issue 9, 2020 (https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/io-news-2009/).

Kolandai-Matchett K. 2009. Improving news media communication of sustainability and the environment: an exploration of approaches. Phd thesis. University of Canterbury.

Seyranian, V., G. M. Sinatra and M. S. Polikoff. 2015. Comparing communication strategies for reducing residential water consumption. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 41:81-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.11.009.

Skamnakis, A. and I. Kostarella. 2018. “Environmental journalism and local media” in Georgiakakis, P., et al. Environmental responsibility, prevention and restoration Heraklion, University of Crete Press.

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In order to strengthen the touristic identity Greek protected areas, the Green Fund assigned to GNHM-EKBY the project entitled “Promotion of the protected areas of the country”. Along with its main task, the project seeks to contribute to the mitigation of the effects of tourism and leisure activities, by attracting informed and properly prepared visitors. The main actions of the project are: (a) the evaluation of the level of use of new technologies for the promotion and promotion of protected areas, as well as the services and goods they offer, (b) the conduct of needs research to upgrade the online promotion of protected areas (c) the training of protected areas staff on online promotion of the protected areas, (d) the promotion of the social media presence of the management bodies and (e) the dissemination of information regarding the project’s activities and results.

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CEETO (Central Europe Eco-Tourism), an Interreg Central Europe project, is organising its final (online) conference on Sustainable Tourism  at May 14th 2020. The conference’s programme will cover different examples of visitor monitoring and management measures presented by CEETO project partners, along with an in-depth analysis of CEETO project achievements. These achievments include, inter allia, a Handbook on Successful and Innovative Sustainable Tourism Practices in Europe;     Guidelines for developing a Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas and a Manual of Sustainable Tourism Governance for Protected Areas managers.

CEETO project main objective is to protect and enhance the natural heritage of Protected Areas (PAs) and Natura 2000 Network, by promoting an innovative sustainable tourism planning model, which reduces usage conflicts, sustains social and territorial cohesion, improves the quality of life of local communities and encourages the tourism industry to concretely contribute to nature conservation.

More information about the conference programme and registration.

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Plant health is increasingly under threat. Climate change and other human activities, are altering ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests can thrive. At the same time, international travel and trade has tripled in volume in the last decade and can quickly spread pests and diseases around the world causing great damage to native plants and the environment.

Prevention is crucial in order to tackle the impacts of plant pests and diseases and everybody has a role in it:

• Travelers need to avoid taking plants and plant products with them across borders.
• People in the transportation industries need to make sure that ships, airplanes, trucks and trains don’t carry plant pests and diseases into new areas.
• Governments need to increase their support to national and regional plant protection organizations that are the first line of defense.

The national competent authority for plant health is the Directorate of Plant Production Protection. The competent authority for the forest sector is the Directorate of Forest Protection of the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Further reading:

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) http://www.fao.org/plant-health-2020/home/en/

European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) http://www.eppo.int

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Forestlife project manager speaks at August 14, 2019 at the main news of ERT1 (Channel 1 of the Greek Public Television) for the impacts of the forest fire of Central Evia which erupted at August 12, 2019. Watch the interview at the 33th minute.

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The post Report under Art. 17 of the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) for the period 2013-2018 for Greece appeared first on Forest Life - Building cooperation, developing skills and sharing knowledge for Natura 2000 forests in Greece.

More information (in Greek) for: Participation, Programme

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Description

The habitat type includes riverine gallery forests dominated by species of poplar and willow. It does not include other riverine forest types such as alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa, riparian forests with hardwood species of the genera Quercus, Ulmus and Fraxinus, forests of Platanus orientalis, thermophilous scrub with Tamarix spp. or non-riparian forests with Populus tremula [2,5].

Figure 1. Riparian gallery forests of the habitat type 92A0 at Nestos river (NE Greece). ΕΚΒΥ Photoarchive/L. Logothetis

Other classifications

EUNIS G1.31 Mediterranean riparian Populus forests

European forest types < 6.12.3 Mediterranean and Macaronesian riparian forest

Palearctic Habitat Classification 44.141 Mediterranean white willow galleries, 44.162 Pontic willow galleries και 44.6 Mediterraneo-Turanian riverine forests

Copernicus Riparian Zones 3.1.1.1 Riparian and fluvial broadleaved forest

Ramsar Xf — Freshwater, tree-dominated wetland

Distribution

The forests of the habitat type 92A0 are distributed in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Central Eurasia. In Greece, they occur along rivers and in their estuaries in Northern, Central and Western Greece, with a few isolated occurrences in Western Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. The habitat type is present in 40 Natura 2000 sites, with a total surface area of 4,000 hectares [1,2,3,8].

Distribution and range map of the habitat type 92A0 in Greece [12].

Physiognomy

These forests show a multilevel structure, which, in concert with the presence of climbing vines, gives a characteristic form of a gallery or tunnel. Species of poplar or willow, that usually dominate, reach a height of 6-8 m and more rarely 20 m. The tree layer is usually stratified in two heights. The overstorey is dominated by poplar species and the understorey by species of willow. The surface area of shrub and herbaceous layers varies, depending on the light conditions inside the forests [2].

Floristic composition

Salix alba, S. fragilis, Populus alba, S. eleagnos, S. purpurea, Ulmus spp., Fraxinus spp., Alnus glutinosa, Clematis vitalba, Vitis vinifera, Cynanchum acutum, Periploca graeca, Hedera helix, Smilax aspera, Humulus lupulus, Solanum dulcamara, Urtica dioica, Agrostis stolonifera [2,11].

Ecology

It is a riparian habitat type usually distributed along rivers and in their floodplains. Its presence depends on the underground water level, while occasional inundations are vital for its conservation. The soils are usually sandy clay formed from alluvial deposits, enriching them in nutrients. The inclination is very small to zero and the elevation can vary from 0 to 1200 m, but rarely exceeds 600 m. The characteristic presence of many climbing plant species forms a complex ecological environment [2,3,8,9].

Figure 2. Multilayered structure of the habitat type 92A0. ΕΚΒΥ Photoarchive/L. Logothetis.

Economic value

The high protective value of these forests in concert with the sensitivity of the riparian ecosystems in which they occur, have led to the abandonment of logging. These forests offer a variety of ecosystem services, such as the stabilization of river banks, the filtering of pollutants before the water enters water bodies and the creation of suitable microhabitats for the river and stream fauna through shading, provision of dead organic material etc. Also, they form “ecological corridors” for wildlife, interconnecting natural areas in the often fragmented landscape of the plains. They also offer a high aesthetic value, attracting many visitors [3,8].

Management

The management of riparian forests is focused on protection, restoration and promotion of its values. Often, a multidisciplinary approach and synergies with competent authorities are vital, such as in the case of the determination of environmental flow of the rivers, regulating and providing the water flow needed in order to ensure the necessary influx of water and nutrients for the conservation of these forests [3,13].

Conservation status

The conservation status of the habitat type has been evaluated as inadequate (U1), according to the 3^rd national report on the implementation of Article 17 of Directive 92/43/EEC (reporting period 2007-2012), and its trend has been estimated as stable (=) [11].

Pressures and threats

Among the main pressures identified for the habitat type are cultivation, mowing of grassland, grazing, forest planting on open ground, forest exploitation, mining and quarrying, the presence of roads, structures and urbanised areas, soil pollution and solid waste and discharges, outdoor sports and leisure activities, human induced changes in hydraulic conditions, storms and cyclones and forest and plantation management. Potential threats for the future, except the above-mentioned pressures, include the construction of sports and leisure structures, as well as human intrusion with its associated impacts [2,11].

General literature

1.Arvela, M., J. Bailly Maitre, D. Evans, Mac Sharry & M. Aronsson. 2013. Pre-scoping Document for the Natura 2000 Seminar at the Mediterranean Region.http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/platform/knowledge_base/135_mediterranean_region_en.htm#NBP.

2. Ntafis, S., Eva Papastergiadou, Efthalia Lazaridou & Maria Tsiafouli (). 2001. Technical manual for identification, description and mapping of habitat types of Greece Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (ΕΚΒΥ). Thermi. 393 p. [in Greek]

3. Ntafis, S. 2010. The forests of Greece. The Goulandris Museum of Natural History. Thermi. 192 [in Greek]

4. Devillers, Pierre & Jean Devillers-Terschuren. A classification of Palearctic habitats. Council of Europe, Strasbourg: Nature and environment, No 78.

5. European Commission. 2013. Interpretation Manual of European Union Habitats -EUR28.

6. EEA. 2006.  European forest types – Categories and types for sustainable forest management reporting and policy. EEA Technical report No 9/2006. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark.

7. European Environmental Agency. Habitat types search. http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/habitats.jsp.

8. San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., de Rigo, Daniele, Caudullo, Giovanni, Houston Durant, Tracy, Mauri, Achille. Eds. 2016. European Atlas of Forest Tree Species. (Eds.) Publication Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. ISBN: 978-92-79-36740-3. DOI: 10.2788/038466.

Specific literature

9. Zogaris, S., V. Chatzivarsanis, A.N. Ikonomou, G. Chatzinikolaou, Sofia Giakoumi & P. Dimopoulos. Riparian zones in Greece. Protecting riparian oases of life. Special publication HCMR. Interreg IIIC Sud. 95 p. [in Greek].

10. GAF 2013. CS-3/17 Nomenclature Guideline, Issue 3.0 Copernicus Riparian Zones.

11. Report on the main results of the surveillance under article 17 for annex I habitat types (Annex D). Code 92A0. Name Salix alba and Populus alba http://biodiversity-info.gr/images/DOCUM/3rd_Art17_Report/Habitat_types/terrestrial/92A0.pdf.

12. Distribution and range map of the habitat type http://www.biodiversity-info.gr/images/DOCUM/3rd_Art17_Report/Habitat_types/terrestrial/maps/92A0_map.pdf.Chatzicharalambous Elena, Maria Dimaki, D. Zervas, E. Koutrakis, G. Poulis, A. Sapounidis & E. Chatziiordanou. 2015. Detailed identification of the ecological requirements in water of the habitat types and the target-species that depend on water in the areas of Axios Delta, Aliakmon Delta and Kitros Lagoon. Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre (EKBY) Thermi. 71 p. + 7 maps + geospatial files. [in Greek]

You can download this factsheet in pdf format.

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The Natura 2000 Award is dedicated to rewarding excellence in the management and promotion of the network and to raising awareness about Natura 2000 and its benefits to European citizens. It also contributes to the fourth priority area of the Commission’s recently adopted Action Plan to improve the protection of nature and biodiversity in the EU, for the benefit of its citizens and the economy.

For more information on how to apply, please consult the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards.

For specific questions/suggestions, please contact the Secretariat of the Natura 2000 Award at n2000awards@adelphi.de.

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