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The gorges have a great aesthetic value and they present an alternation of different landscapes, with a large variety of plants and animals. The flora consists of many endemic species, such as Limonium creticum, which is a local endemic. On the sandy beach, the turtle Caretta caretta lays its eggs, making the site one of the three most important places for C. caretta in Greece. The fauna also includes other ampbibians and reptiles, as well as mammals protected by the Bern Convention. There are also endemic invertebrates, some of them local endemics, such as the snails Albinaria terebra (endemic to South Crete), Helicopsis bathyptera (endemic to Crete and Karpathos), and Mastus turcidus (endemic to the Aegean).OTHER IMPORTANT SPECIES WITH MOTIVATION D.Plants: The endemic species Campanula creutzbergi, Campanula saxatilis ssp. saxatilis, and Crepis tybakiensis are characterized as "rare" in Greece in the IUCN list (1993) of threatened plants are they are also protected by the national Presidential Decree 67/81.Lithodora hispidula ssp. hispidula is endemic to E Aegean Islands, Kriti and W Turkey.Amphibians: Crete is the southern limit of the distribution of the frog Rana ridibunda. The species Hyla arborea ssp. cretensis and Bufo vitidis are protected by the national Presidential Decree 67/81.Reptiles: The snake Natrix tessellata has low and restricted populations. This species as well as the species Chalcides ocellatus, Coluber gemonensis and Lacerta trilineata ssp. polylepidota are protected by the national Presidential Decree 67/81. Mammals: The species Mustela nivalis and Erinaceus concolor are protected by the national Presidential Decree 67/81. Invertebrates: the snail Helix nucula has very limited populations in Crete. |
