| Σχόλιο για τις αξίες |
The variety of biotopes give shelter to a great number of very interesting plant taxa which are endemic to Greece and some of them endemic to this site like Linaria hellenica (92/43/EEC) and recently described taxa like Saponaria jagelii and Linum phytosianum. While formations with Euphorbia dendroides follow phrygana formations and coastal sand dunes and sand beaches house Juniperus macrocarpa "forest" especially on the island of Elafonisos. A rich and diverse vertebrate fauna inhabits this site. Of the non-bird taxa, some mammalian and reptilian species are listed in Annex II of the Directive 92/43EEC (section 3.2), whereas many others are evaluated as Other Important Species on the basis of the criteria used for completing sections 3.3. Among the taxa of the first category, the Monk Seal, Monachus monachus, is a priority species of the Directive and is mentioned in the Greek Red Data Book as "Endangered". All taxa of this category are also protected by the Bern Convention and Greek legislation. Among the taxa of the second category, the jackal Canis aureus, an animal absent from most of Europe, is a "Vulnerable" Greek species according to the Greek Red Data Book. Also, some lizard species and one large mammal are endemic to Greece, as indicated by their B motivation (it should be emphasized that the endemic lizards occurring in this site comprise half the total number of the endemic reptilian species in the whole of Greece). Nearly all taxa of section 3.3 are marked with motivation C since they are protected by the Bern Convention, the only exceptions being the jackal Canis aureus. The Sand Boa, Eryx jaculus, is also protected by the CITES Convention. Most of these taxa are also included in the lists of the protective Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981, thus being eligible for the D motivation (exceptions are the lizard Ablepharus kitaibelii, the snakes Typhlops vermicularis, Eryx jaculus, Vipera ammodytes, and the large mammals Canis aureus, Martes foina and Meles meles. Ablepharus kitaibelii is indicated by D since it is mentioned by the handbook of the CORINE-Biotopes Project, and Bufo viridis, Hyla arborea and Natrix tessellata are additionally marked with D as they are mentioned in the same document. The following taxa also fall under this motivation category for additional reasons: Coluber gemonensis is a Balkan endemic element, Cyrtodactylus kotschyi bibroni has a very discontinuous range in Greece, and Ophiomorus punctatissimus shows the westernmost end of its whole distribution area in Peloponnisos. This site is also important for many migratory bird species, since it is one of the two southernmost areas of the Greek mainland which are valuable stations for the birds, before and after their exhausting travel over Mediterrranean Sea. |
