27 Sep 2007 - Athens,
Greece – A report by WWF gives an overview
of the damages and environmental impacts
caused by the devastating wildfires that
raged throughout southern Greece this past
summer.
According to WWF-Greece, the wildfires
scorched a total of 177,265 hectares in
the Peloponese Peninsula south of Athens
— 55% (97,518ha) of which consisted of forests
and areas of natural vegetation, 41% (78,104ha)
of agricultural land and 1% of infrastructure
(settlements, roads, etc.).
More than 30,000ha of burnt land were located
within Natura 2000 protected sites.
The fires also caused severe damage to
the habits of many wildlife species including
the golden jackal, turtles, hedgehogs and
lizards.
According to WWF, further research will
be required to assess long-term impacts
on wild fauna.
“The root causes of the disastrous situation
we faced this summer lie in the state’s
chronic negligence of the country’s forests
in terms of protection and management,"
said Demetres Karavellas, CEO of WWF-Greece.
"The potential for rehabilitating
these sites is dependent on managing human
activities and avoiding extensive land-use
change."
WWF-Greece is committed to helping in the
rehabilitation process, and has undertaken
a long-term commitment to contribute to
solving the root cause of forest degradation
in the country. This includes establishing
a forest monitoring system that will provide
early warning when land-use changes are
being planned, and facilitating the process
to overhaul the national forest protection
system.
“The future of these areas presents a major
challenge for us all," Karavellas added.
"Negative land-use changes and ill-conceived
rehabilitation could mean total destruction
for these sites.”
END NOTES:
• The following protected areas in Greece
affected by the fires include:
Lake Kaiafas and the surrounding forest:
758 ha burnt (22,5% of the Natura site)
Olympia: 67 ha burnt (21,3% of the Natura
site)
Foloi plateau: 2,994 ha burnt (30,7% of
the Natura site)
Mt Taygetos: 8,654 ha burnt (16,3% of the
Natura site)
Mt Parnonas: 4,506 ha burnt (8,1% of the
Natura site)
Mt Barbas, Mt Klokos, Selinounta gorge:
3,048 ha burnt (50,4% of the Natura site)
Vouraikos gorge: 636 ha burnt (29,2% of
the Natura site)
• The report was prepared in coordination
with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Marita Panteri, Press Officer
WWF-Greece
