Greece - Korina Miller [58]
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The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Archelon, runs monitoring programs and is always looking for volunteers. For details, visit www.archelon.gr.
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Overfishing has severely impacted Greece’s dolphin populations. Once spotted during almost any ferry trip, a number of the species are now considered vulnerable, while the number of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) has dropped from 150 to 15 in the past decade. The main threats to dolphins are a diminished food supply and entanglement in fishing nets. In the early 1990s, the striped dolphin also fell victim to an infection called morbillivirus which killed several thousand in the Mediterranean Sea, including many in Greek waters.
Plants
Greece is endowed with a variety of flora unrivalled elsewhere in Europe. The wildflowers are spectacular, with more than 6000 species, some of which occur nowhere else, and more than 100 varieties of orchid. They continue to thrive because most of the land is inadequate for intensive agriculture and has therefore escaped the ravages of chemical fertilisers.
The regions with the most wildflowers are the Lefka Ori mountains of Crete and the Mani area Click here of the Peloponnese. Trees begin to blossom as early as the end of February in warmer areas and the wildflowers start to appear in March. During spring the hillsides are carpeted with flowers, which seem to sprout even from the rocks. By summer the flowers have disappeared from everywhere but the northern mountainous regions. Autumn brings a new period of blossoming.
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For details and pictures of the thousands of mountain flowers you may to stumble across in Greece, check out www.greekmountainflora.info.
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WHERE TO PARK
Mt Olympus National Park – Home to Greece’s tallest mountain, rich flora and considered the home of the gods
Mt Parnitha National Park – Very popular wooded parkland north of Athens; home to the red deer
National Marine Park of Alonnisos – Covers six islands and 22 islets in the Sporades and is home to monk seals, dolphins and rare birdlife
Parnassos National Park – Towering limestone and scenic views down to Delphi
Prespa Lakes – One of Europe’s oldest lakes, steeped in wildlife and tranquillity
Samaria Gorge – Spectacular gorge on Crete and a refuge for the kri-kri (Cretan goat)
Cape Sounion – A cape with panoramic views and home to the Temple of Poseidon
Vikos-Aoös National Park – Excellent hiking with caves, canyons and dense forest
Bay of Laganas (see At Loggerheads, Click here) – An Ionian refuge for loggerhead turtles
Iti National Park – Tranquil stretches of forest, meadows and pools and home to eagles, deer and boar
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The forests that once covered ancient Greece have been decimated by thousands of years of clearing for grazing, boat building and housing. More recently, they’ve suffered from severe forest fires (see Environmental Issues, below). Northern Greece is the only region that has retained significant areas of native forest and here you will find mountainsides covered with dense thickets of hop hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia), noted for its lavish display of white clustered flowers. Another common species is the Cyprus plane (Platanus orientalis insularis), which thrives wherever there is ample water. It seems as if every village on the mainland has a plane tree shading its central square.
Herbs grow wild throughout much of Greece and you’ll see locals out picking fresh herbs for their kitchen. Locally grown herbs are also increasingly sold as souvenirs and are generally organic.
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Herbs in Cooking is an illustrative book by Maria and Nikos Psilakis that can be used as both an identification guide and a cookbook for Greek dishes seasoned with local herbs.
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NATIONAL PARKS
National Parks were first established in Greece in 1938 with the creation of Mt Olympus National Park, followed quickly by the establishment