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This coastal wetland constitutes an important link in the wetlands chain of Western Greece. The natural habitats have greatly been restricted or downgraded as concerns their structure and function. It should be managed properly in a wise and integrated manner, so that restoration of the existing habitats to be achieved and protection from further degradation. As concerns the species Alnus glutinosa, which has been included in the motivation category D, its populations have intensively been affected by cutting, fires and clearing while the population of Pancratium maritimum consists of smaller number of individuals located only on Ammondia beach. Some reptile species of Annex II of Directive 92/43/EEC and other important animal species have been encountered in habitats of this site. Some of these taxa are represented by small, loose populations. The water shrew Neomys anomalus, is of great importance as it is included in the Greek Red Data Book. Also the fox Vulpes vulpes hellenica and the green frog Rana epeirotica are interesting since they are endemic taxa of Greece and Western Greece-Albania respectively. All taxa characterized by the indication D in Section 3.3 are mentioned in the Presidential Decree 67/81 and are considered as protected animals in Greece. Stena of Acherontas is an important habitat for Balkan endemics, participating in the diversity of the various habitat types and vegetation dynamics. This area with special charcteristics completes the landscape of the whole site since it is of high ecological significance for the avifauna. The combination of the above-mentioned natural characteristics together with the important archaeological areas within this site (Nekromantio, Acropolis of Efira, etc) combine to give special ecotourist interest to the site as a whole. The following species have been allocated motivation D, for the following reasons: Scabiosa epirota: A Balkan endemic distributed in Greece and Albania, which is also given the IUCN Red Data Book category (R); Moltkia petraea: A Balkan endemic distributed in Greece, Albania and Yugoslavia, with a naroow distribution in Greece; Malcolmia graeca subsp. bicolor: A Balkan endemic widely distributed in Greece, but which is scattered within the studied site with a low number of individuals; Petrorhagia obcordata subsp. epirota: A Balkan endemic distributed in Greece and Yugoslavia. In Greece it occurs only in Epeiros and Thessaly; Cotula coronopifolia: A xerophyte with very limited occurrence currently known in Greece from western Sterea Ellada, Stofilia coastal area, NW coasts of Peloponnisos, only; Lippia nodiflora: A species with very limited distribution range in Greece and which is rare in this site. As concerns the species Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis and Alnus glutinosa, which have been included in motivation category D, their populations have been strongly affected by cutting, fires and clearing while the population of Pancratium maritimum consists of a smaller number of individuals located only on Ammoudia beach. Some reptilian and fish taxa included in Annex II of the 92/43/EEC Directive have been encountered in habitats of this site (section 3.2). As regards the fishes, based on Economidis (pers. comm.) we consider that the Directive species Phoxinellus spp. are to be listed under the names Pseudophoxinus stymphalicus thesproticus (Economidis, 1991). There are more non-bird vertebrate taxa evaluated as Other Important Species according to the motivation system used in section 3.3. Τhe water shrew Neomys anomalus is given motivation A since it is threatened species in Greece. All taxa are protected by the Bern Convention thus justifying the C motivation. Also, the anuran amphibians B. bufo, B. viridis, Hyla arborea, the lizards Anguis fragilis, Lacerta trilineata, the snakes Malpolon monspessulanus, N. natrix, N. tessellata, the shrews Crocidura suaveolens, Neomys anomalus, and the weasel Mustela nivalis, are protected by Greek legislation (Presidential Decree 67/1981) and this is the reason why they have been allocated motivation D. The same motivation is given to Bufo viridis, Hyla arborea and Natrix tessellata because of their evaluation by the CORINE-Biotopes Project. This site's importance has also been evaluated on the basis of its avifauna. Indeed, the Acherontas Delta is considered an EC Important Bird Area. Many rare and threatened species are included in the local, rich avifauna (e.g. Aquila chrysaetos, Falco tinunculus, Gyps fulvus, Hieraciaetus fasciatus and Neophron percnopterus, etc). The invertebrate species listed in section 3.3 with motivation D is protected by the Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981. |
