Alonissos Marine Park
Encyclopedia
The National Marine Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades was founded by Presidential Decree on May 16, 1992. It was the first of its kind in Greece
, and is currently the largest marine protected area in Europe (approximately 2.260 km2). Besides the sea area, the park includes the island of Alonnisos, six smaller islands (Peristera
, Kyra Panagia
, Gioura
, Psathoura
, Piperi
and Skantzoura
), as well as 22 uninhabited islets and rocky outcrops. It is located in the region of the Northern Sporades
Islands, in the northern Aegean Sea
. Administratively, the Sporades Islands belong to the prefecture of Magnesia
.
(Monachus Monachus), which remained so until 2006. A year later they established in Alonnisos the first Seal Health Centre for the species in the Mediterranean.
The presidential decree, that was issued to clearly demarcate the protected zones and protection measures, overlooked the creation of a local Reserve Management Agency. MOm, aided by the European Commission, initiated the Reserve's support and monitor program. This action is implemented with the local operators of the high-speed craft Alonnisos and the first few years in close cooperation with the Fishing Cooperative of Alonnisos. Following the environmental study that lasted several years issued by a Joint Ministerial Decision which set out the composition of the Board of the Management Agency of the Marine Park, the overall responsibility for managing the reserve passed to the new Management Agency. MOm participates as a full member of the Board, the Operational Management Council, however, without a clearly defined plan of operation, with lack of funding and some unfortunate choice of a President of the Board for the next three years remained ineffective. In 2007, some funding by the Third EU Community Support Framework initiated the first steps of operation. The current situation is critical, since the choices to be made and management actions to be implemented will determine both the credibility of the new Management Agency and the protection of the coastal region.
During August, the meltemia, average to very strong northerly winds, refresh the atmosphere and cause significant disturbance at sea.
tree, phillyrea
, the heather
, rhamnus, the kermew oak, often in the form of treelike shrubs, and evergreen trees such as the maple
, the wild olive
, the Phoenician juniper and the rare tree Amelanchier chelmea. Phrygana is also common and consists of many species. Of particular interest are the chasmophytes with several endemic species such as Campanula reiseri, Linum gyranium, Arenana phitosiana and others. Underwater sea-grass beds of the seaweed Poseidonia oceanicae, which is particularly important for the development of other organisms and the retention and cycling of suspended particles and various substances in the marine environment, are widely spread and in good condition.
species may be seen in the region, such as the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatua), the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melaera), the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).
Forbidden activities: Agricultural activities, the use of fire or chemicals and other substances, all kinds of professional fishing, amateur fishing, vessel approach and mooring.
There are communities in Zone B, the largest being Patitiri
, Palia Alonnisos, Votsi and Steni Vala
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and is currently the largest marine protected area in Europe (approximately 2.260 km2). Besides the sea area, the park includes the island of Alonnisos, six smaller islands (Peristera
Peristera
Peristera , also Aspro, locally Xero , is a Greek island in the Sporades. It is administratively part of the municipality of Alonnisos and is also directly east of the namesake island. The 1991 census read three inhabitants, making it one of the smallest municipal district in the Northern Sporades....
, Kyra Panagia
Kyra Panagia
Kyra Panagia is a Greek island in the Sporades. It is administratively part of the municipality of Alonnisos in Magnesia Prefecture. The island is also known by the name of Pelagos and rarely Pelagonisi. In Antiquity it was known as Ephthyros and Polyaigos . A bay in the south west of the island...
, Gioura
Gioura
Gioura is a Greek island and an abandoned settlement in the eastern part of the Sporades. It is administratively part of the municipality of Alonnisos. The island name dates back to the ancient times as Gerontia. The name was later altered to Gioura. The island also features a Neolithic settlement...
, Psathoura
Psathoura
Psathoura is a Greek island in the Northern Sporades. It is administratively a part of Alonnisos and forms a depopulated sub-municipal district which is not officially a settlement. The Psathoura lighthouse, built in 1895, stands at 28.9 metres. It is one of the tallest in the Aegean...
, Piperi
Piperi, Greece
Piperi is a Greek island in the Sporades. It is administratively part of the municipality of Alonnisos and is also the Sporades' easternmost island. The 2001 census reported a population of two inhabitants.-Nearest islands and islets:...
and Skantzoura
Skantzoura
Skantzoura is a Greek island in the Sporades. The island is located about 25 to 30 km east-southeast of the main island of Alonnisos.-Nearest islands and islets:...
), as well as 22 uninhabited islets and rocky outcrops. It is located in the region of the Northern Sporades
Sporades
The Sporades are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in the Aegean Sea. It consists of 24 islands, of which four are permanently inhabited: Alonnisos, Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros.-Administration:...
Islands, in the northern Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. Administratively, the Sporades Islands belong to the prefecture of Magnesia
Magnesia Prefecture
Magnesia Prefecture was one of the prefectures of Greece. Its capital was Volos. It was established in 1899 from the Larissa Prefecture. The prefecture was disbanded on 1 January 2011 by the Kallikratis programme, and split into the peripheral units of Magnesia and the Sporades.The toponym is...
.
History
Thomas Schultze-Westrum, a German zoologist and maker of animal documentaries, after a series of exploratory missions to the islands in 1976, noted the great ecological and biological value for the first time and proposed the creation of protected area. Six years later, the local fishermen of Alonnisos Island accepted, after consultation, the prospect of establishing a park in the region and were committed to help with its protection. In 1986 the Magnesia Prefecture Office issued the first order to protect the region, followed by the decisions of the Ministries of Environmental Affairs, Agriculture and Merchant Navy. The newly formed Mom NGO, composed of young marine biologists, in 1990 set up a permanent team field in the area of the reserve and acquired the research vessel IFAW-ODYSSEAS to aid to the systematic monitoring of the population of the Mediterranean Monk SealMediterranean Monk Seal
The Mediterranean monk seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 450-510 remaining individuals, it is believed to be the world's second-rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic...
(Monachus Monachus), which remained so until 2006. A year later they established in Alonnisos the first Seal Health Centre for the species in the Mediterranean.
The presidential decree, that was issued to clearly demarcate the protected zones and protection measures, overlooked the creation of a local Reserve Management Agency. MOm, aided by the European Commission, initiated the Reserve's support and monitor program. This action is implemented with the local operators of the high-speed craft Alonnisos and the first few years in close cooperation with the Fishing Cooperative of Alonnisos. Following the environmental study that lasted several years issued by a Joint Ministerial Decision which set out the composition of the Board of the Management Agency of the Marine Park, the overall responsibility for managing the reserve passed to the new Management Agency. MOm participates as a full member of the Board, the Operational Management Council, however, without a clearly defined plan of operation, with lack of funding and some unfortunate choice of a President of the Board for the next three years remained ineffective. In 2007, some funding by the Third EU Community Support Framework initiated the first steps of operation. The current situation is critical, since the choices to be made and management actions to be implemented will determine both the credibility of the new Management Agency and the protection of the coastal region.
Geology
Limestone rock dominates the island surfaces. Its main characteristics are the steep rocky slopes which run down to the sea and the caves, which are an important part of the habitat of the monk seal. Different types of soil are encountered while fresh water sources are scarce.Climate
Mediterranean, with moderate rainfall during wintertime and long dry summers. The average annual temperature is 17 °C and the average rainfall is 515 mm.During August, the meltemia, average to very strong northerly winds, refresh the atmosphere and cause significant disturbance at sea.
Special Conditions
The geographic isolation of the area, its morphology, the limited degree of human interference and the excellent condition of the natural environment make the land and sea areas of the park an ideal habitat for many threatened species of plants and animalsFlora
The islands are covered in Mediterranean coniferous forest and macchia vegetation such as the strawberryStrawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
tree, phillyrea
Phillyrea
Phillyrea is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, the Canary Islands and Madeira....
, the heather
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
, rhamnus, the kermew oak, often in the form of treelike shrubs, and evergreen trees such as the maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, the wild olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
, the Phoenician juniper and the rare tree Amelanchier chelmea. Phrygana is also common and consists of many species. Of particular interest are the chasmophytes with several endemic species such as Campanula reiseri, Linum gyranium, Arenana phitosiana and others. Underwater sea-grass beds of the seaweed Poseidonia oceanicae, which is particularly important for the development of other organisms and the retention and cycling of suspended particles and various substances in the marine environment, are widely spread and in good condition.
Fauna
The area of the AMP is an important habitat for many species of fish (about 300), birds (up to 80 species), reptiles and also mammals. Apart from the monk seal, the red coral Coralium rubrum, Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae), Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii), Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), and the wild goat of Gioura (Capra aegagrus), are few of the most characteristic rare species to be found. Some of the birds to be seen are the eagle (Hieraetus fasciatus), the cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) and the white gull (Laruss cacchinans), and, nesting among the rocks, the Apus capus and Apus melba, the Rock Nuthatch (Sitta neumayer) etc. The existing flora also favours the presence of species of the family Sylvidae, eg. the Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala) and the Blackcap (Silvia articapilla). Underwater fauna is also varied, with many benthic and fish species. Various species of dolphins and some whaleWhale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
species may be seen in the region, such as the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatua), the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melaera), the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).
Zone A1 Piperi Island and the surrounding waters to a distance of 3 nautical miles
Permitted activities: Scientific research (under licences), park operations (under licences), maintenance works to the church of Zoothohos Pigis and the adjacent spring, herding.Forbidden activities: Agricultural activities, the use of fire or chemicals and other substances, all kinds of professional fishing, amateur fishing, vessel approach and mooring.
Zone B (678 km²)
The entire area of Zone B is open to visits and there are no specific restrictions, with the exception of free camping and the lighting of fires. Swimming and walking are amongst the simplest and most interesting ways of coming in contact with the natural environment. In addition, amateur fishing is allowed according to the rules laid down in the Fisheries Code.There are communities in Zone B, the largest being Patitiri
Patitiri
Patitiri is the capital town of the island of Alonnisos in the Sporades, located in the southern part of the island. The population in 2001 was 1,697. Patitiri was destroyed in the 1965 earthquake.-Population:...
, Palia Alonnisos, Votsi and Steni Vala
Steni Vala
Steni Vala is the second most populated village on the Greek island of Alonnisos. Located on the east coast roughly 11km north of Patitiri. It has several tavernas and a campsite. There is a large beach just north of the village....
.