The 98 forest complexes of Greece in a mobile or tablet application

The ninety eight forest complexes of Greece, organized on the basis of common geographical terms in the same number of regions of the country, including the islands, are presented with a tourist view, through app for mobile phones or tablets developed by the Greek Center for Biotopes – Wetlands of the Goulandris Museum of Natural History, within the framework of the European project LIFE, ForestLife.

By typing the website greekforests.gr anyone can download the application and through it locate, with the help of maps, every forest in every place. There are forest formations such as the palm forest in Vai in Crete and the forests of the Rhodopes, where in Elatia and Frakto there are species found mainly in Finland and northern Europe. Interesting forests are still found in Symi, although they are not at all visible when the visitor approaches the island by boat, and also in Strophylia in the Peloponnese, where the natural forest of pine trees impresses the traveler.

“If someone wants to take a day trip to a forest and is in Thessaloniki, they can look for the forests in the wider area. In this way, he will find that in addition to Sheikh Sou and Hortiatis, he can visit Kerdyllia or Paiko or the riverside forest of Axios, which many do not know,” said Petros Kakouros, forester, scientific manager of the Life project, ForestLife, “building partnerships , skills development and knowledge exchange for Natura 2000 forests in Greece”. He also noted that the application provides information on the exact location of each forest, its description, the characteristic plants and animals it “hosts”, the cultural elements and attractions located near it.

All information about forests on the web portal forests-ypen.gr

In the context of the same program, the web portal forests-ypen.gr was developed, a valuable tool for public and private sector bodies related to forests. Through it, they can search the electronic library for policies, legislation, circulars, decisions, archival material, scientific studies as well as information on the funding provided, geospatial data and maps. The head of the Department of Information, Education and Environmental Interpretation, Maria Katsakiori, during the press briefing, also pointed out that through this platform it is possible to communicate between service agents on specialized issues, while there is also rich photographic material.

At the same time, through the ForestLife project, training seminars have been held on the subject of financing, biodiversity issues, climate change issues and visitor management, etc.

Special reference to the threats faced by forest complexes

Special mention is also made, through the greekforests.gr website, of the threats faced by forest complexes. These, in addition to fire, include the loss of forests for other land uses (urban or industrial), their fragmentation by various networks (roads, electricity transmission, etc.), abandonment by the people who are supposed to protect them, overgrazing, tourism and recreation.

“Mediterranean forestry is forestry that wants people in the forest. He wants him as a forester, that is to say, to cut down trees, in moderation, as a beekeeper, as a retsina, as a livestock breeder, as a visitor, as a tourist, but in moderation” emphasized Mr. Kakouros.

For her part, Mrs. Katsakiori cited the words of the late professor of forestry at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Spyros Dafi, who was president of the scientific committee of the executive board of the Greek Center for Biotopes – Wetlands of the Goulandris Museum of Natural History. He used to say: “if the forest didn’t exist, its benefits are so important that we would have to invent it…”. His latest book, “The Forests of Greece” is available in electronic format in the greekforests.gr application.

LIFE ForestLife: From a collective request to a creative idea

It is noted that the LIFE ForestLife project was a joint effort of the General Directorate of Forests and Forest Environment of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (M.E.E.) and the Goulandris Museum of Natural History / Hellenic Center for Habitats-Wetlands (MGFI-EKBY) for the dissemination knowledge, information and good practices and improving cooperation between all those involved in the management of forest ecosystems in the Natura 2000 Network areas. The project was motivated by the conclusions of the Biogeographic Seminar on forest management in the Natura 2000 Network areas in Mediterranean, held in May 2014 in Thessaloniki.

According to them, there was a lag in the dissemination, evaluation and adoption of new knowledge and experience in forest management in Natura 2000 Network areas. In addition, there were weaknesses in addressing pressures and threats to important forest habitat types, especially those related to recreational and tourism uses. Finally, difficulties were observed in the training of the personnel dealing with forests and a lack of information about the funding possibilities and procedures other than state funding.

The results of the project have already empowered the staff of the Forest Service and other organizations, through training and information activities, while it is expected to contribute to the formation of a social alliance of all those working for the conservation and sustainable management of forests in the areas of the Natura 2000 Network. It also aims to increase public and stakeholder support for the adoption of environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviours.

RES-EMP

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