INTERREG III B ARCHIMED

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• INTERREG III B ARCHIMED
• Measure 3.4 Sustainable development of tourism
• Project ARCHICHARTER

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Map of Greece and the area of National Park of
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
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• National Park of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
• The National Park of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
  is one of the 22 parks of Greece and it was
  established in 1996. The park is extended to the
  south of Xanthi up to the sea. The park includes
  rivers, lakes, lagoons, woods and a rocky islet.
  According to Natura 2000 there are two sites of
  protection
• LAKES VISTONIS, ISMARIS - LAGOONS PORTO LAGOS,
  ALYKI, PTELEA, XIROLIMNI, KARATZA
  (GR1130010)
• DELTA OF NESTOS RIVER AND LAGOONS KERAMOTIS AND
  ISLET THASOPOULA (GR1150001)

Vistonis
Nestos Delta
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LAKES VISTONIS, ISMARIS - LAGOONS PORTO LAGOS,
ALYKI, PTELEA, XIROLIMNI, KARATZA Area 18221
ha
Storks
Flamingos
Vistonis
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Himantopus himantopus
Pine-wood in Porto Lagos
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• Site character
• The site includes a series of coastal lakes and
  the outlet of three rivers. The largest one lake
  Vistonis is half brackish-half freshwater and has
  inflow from two rivers. On the other hand, lake
  Ismaris has inflow from the third river and eight
  major lagoons, presenting high salinity. These
  wetlands consist IUCN Directory site and are
  classified as Type I Bird site.
• Birds
• The area is important for breeding, passage and
  wintering waterbirds and raptors, and breeding
  species associated with reedbeds.
• 262 bird species
• 9 globally threatened
• 12 in danger in European level
• 73 species in Red Book of Greece
• 87 species are reported in annex I of Directive
  79/409/EC
• Species of concern include
• Phoenicopterus ruber (Flamingo)
• Hoplopterus spinosus (Spur-winged Plover)
• Phalacrocorax pygmeus (Pygmy cormorant)
• Pelecanus crispus (Dalmatian Pelican)
• Egretta alba (Great White Egret)
• Ciconia ciconia (White Stork)
• Plegadis falcinellus (Glossy Ibis)

Vistonis
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Pancratium maritimum

• Mammals
• 25 species
• Vulpes vulpes (Fox) Corine biotopes
• Lutra lutra (Otter) annex II of Directive
  92/43/EC
• Plants
• The quality of the site is indicated by the
• occurrence of 7 important taxa.
• 4 taxa are included in WCMC and/or
• European Red Data List
• Groenladia densa
• Oenanthe tenuifolia
• Salvinia natans
• Trapa natans (Water chestnut)
• 2 taxa are rare in Greece and/or reach their
• extreme distribution limits in Nothern Greece
• Fraxinus angustifolia
• Leymus racemosus ssp. Sabulosus
• One taxon is seriously endangered by the human
  activities on the coast

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Lagoon Lafrouda

• Vulnerability
• drainage in the eastern and northern part
• of Vistonis
• water pollution from intensive agricultural,
• industrial and domestic sources
• agricultural and urban expansion
• construction of summer houses
• infrastructure developments
• excessive water abstraction
• hunting (even though shooting is prohibited in
  parts of the area)
• Large scale extraction of fresh water has caused
  increasing salinisation.

Phalacrocorax pygmeus
Platalea leucorodia
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Egretta Garzetta
Plegadis Falcinellus
Flamingos
Cygnus olor
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2 churches inside lagoon Porto Lagos
Platalea Leukorodia
Ardea Cinerea
Vistonis
Pelecanus crispus
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• DELTA OF NESTOS RIVER AND LAGOONS KERAMOTIS AND
  ISLET THASOPOULA
• Area 14606 ha

Kotza Orman
Thasopoula
Nestos Delta
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Vulpes Vulpes
Hoplopterus Spinosus
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Felis silvestris

• Site character
• This designation site is a large Delta and
  consists almost entirely of agricultural land
  with few freshwater lagoons separated from the
  sea by narrow sandy strips. Only a relict area of
  the previously extended groundwater wood (Kotza
  Orman) remains along the river course. Kotza
  Orman or Big Forest is the unique aquatic wood in
  Europe. There is also a rocky, off shore inlet
  (island of Thassopoula). Fisher-stations exist in
  each lagoon and to the proximity there is a new
  airport.

Testudo graeca (Tortoises)
Lutra Lutra
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Egretta alba
Egretta garzetta
Haliaeetus albicilla
Leucojum aestivum
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Haliaeetus albicilla

• Birds
• An important site for breeding, passage and
  wintering waterbirds, raptors and passerines
  associated with reedbeds.
• 254 bird species
• 7 globally threatened
• 12 in danger in european level
• 70 species in Red Book of Greece
• 81 species are reported in annex I of Directive
  79/409/EC
• Species of concern include
• Hoplopterus spinosus (Spur-winged Plover)
• Largest breeding population in Europe
• Ardea purpurea (Purlpe Heron)
• Aquila clanga (Spotted Eagle)
• Tadorna ferruginea
• Hieraaetus fasciatus
• Haliaeetus albicilla (Sea Eagle or
• White-tailed eagle)
• Gelochelidon nilotica
• Phasianus colchicus colchicus

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Ardea Purpurea
Wild Boar
Wild flowers
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• Mammals
• 15 species
• Felis silvestris (Wild cat)
• Canis aureus (Golden jackal)
• Sus scrofa (Wild boar)
• Fishes
• 43 species
• Flora
• There have been recorded 570 species and
  sub-species of plants.
• Leymus racemosus ssp. Sabulosus (a plant taxon
  which reaches its extreme distribution limit in
  Nothern Greece is growing wild)
• Salvinia natans (included in WCMC)
• Wolffia arrhiza
• Fritillaria pontica
• Ruscus aculeatus
• Kotza Orman wood
• Salix alba (White Willow), Salis fragilis,
  Populus alba (White poplar),

Canis aureus
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Salix alba
Nymphaea alba (White Water-Lily)
Populus nigra
Populus alba
Orchis sambucina (Broad-Leafed Dactylorhiza)
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• Vulnerability
• Human activities include agriculture, fishing,
  illegal cutting of woods, tourism and hunting
• Negative ecological changes include
  intensification of agriculture, a new
  hydroelectric dam up river which will
  considerably alter the water regime of the delta,
  overgrazing and hunting

Wild wine grapes
Phasianus colchicus colchicus
Nestos Delta
Nestos Delta
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• The area include 6 municipalities.
• In some towns some of the
• inhabitants are Mussulmans and
• other villages are inhabited only
• by Mussulmans.
• The main activities of the people
• are agriculture, fishery,
• industrial, cattle-rearing.
• The main cultivated species
• are
• corn-plant
• cotton plant
• tobacco-plants
• wheat-plant
• beets
• asparagus
• industrial tomato

Mosque
Church
Manor-house
Renovated tobacco warehouse
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Avdira An archeological town
This town is known from the ancient ages (7th
century b.C.), where lived philosophers like,
Democritus, Protagoras, Leukippos.
Archeological place
Democritus
Archeological museum
Archeological place
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Avdira
Beaches that are inside the boundaries of the Park
There are many organized beaches, hotels and
taverns that serve fresh fish and local products.
Mirodato
Ai-Giannis
Phanari
Keramoti
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• Tourism
• Some of the activities that tourists participate,
  except of conducted tours, are
• Birdwatching
• Cycling
• Riding
• Canoe-Kayak
• Trekking