| Σχόλιο για τις αξίες |
The whole site offers a great variety of ecological niches. It is a very interesting area for resting and nesting of migratory birds. At the southernmost limits of the site, the unique rocky landscape of Monemvasia occurs. This landscape pays host to the Venetian castle as well as some very rare floral elements, such as Euphorbia dendroides formations and very rare and local endemic plant taxa like Stachys spreitzenhoferi ssp. virella and Campanula andrewsii ssp. hirsutula. Together, these give the area special impetus for conservation and management. The fauna of this site is surprisingly diverse. Indeed many amphibian, reptilian and mammalian taxa evaluated as important have been recorded here. Specific chelonian taxa are mentioned in Annex II of the Directive 92/43/EEC (see Section 3.2). All these taxa are named in the Bern Convention and protected by law in Greece (Presidential Decree 67/1981). Of the Other Important taxa (Section 3.3) the jackal (Canis aureus) is threatened and placed in the category "Vulnerable" according to the Greek Red Data Book. Some lizard species and one carnivorous mammel are endemic Greek taxa (motivation B). This becomes more significant if one takes into consideration the total number of endemic reptiles in Greece. All taxa listed in the table of section 3.3 are protected by the Bern Convention (excluding the jackel Canis aureus) and therefore they have been given motivation C. The same motivation is additionally given to the snake Eryx jaculus because it is included in the CITES Convention. Most of the Other Important Taxa are also listed in the Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981 and are indicated by motivation D. Moreover, the amphibians Bufo viridis and Hyla arborea, and the lizard Cyrtoaoctylus kotschyi bibroni, being evaluated by the CORINE-Biotopes Project, receive the D motivation. The lizard Ablepharus kitaibelii is marked with D since it is mentioned only in the above project.For specific taxa there are additional reasons for their being allocated motivation D. Namely, the colubrid snake Coluber gemonensis are endemic to the Western Balkans. Also, a) the legless lizard Ophiomorus punctatissimus shows a limited distribution in Greece where the westernmost part of the species' area of distribution lies, and b) the hare Lepus europaeus is very rare throughout Greece because of intensive hunting. The invertebrate species listed in section 3.3 with motivation C are protected by the Bern Convention.The invertebrate species listed in section 3.3 with motivation D are protected by the Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981. Pieris ergane is also included in the "Listing of biotopes in Europe according to their significance for invertebrates". |
