Florina Prefecture Lakes (Ecology)
These lakes are of a mountain drain basin and are split by a narrow land strip and are surrounded by mountains. Greece is sharing Lake Mikri Prespa with Albania, and Lake Megali Prespa with Albania and F.Y.R.O.M. Lake Mikri Prespa has several extended shallow zones with reedbeds and aquatic vegetation, wet meadows, pastures, and agricultural land. The main human activities are agriculture, fishery, and hunting. In 1985 the Greek Government launched a development pilot program that was financed by the European Union and was aimed to develop agriculture and aquaculture and to extend the road network. The result was a serious ecological damage that was caused by the cutting of the remaining riverine forest, the clearing with dredging machines of the canals that were rich in aquatic vegetation, and the creation of a fishpond in a vital feeding site for herons. This fishpond was never put into service. Nevertheless, the natural beauty of the place exceeds any human intervention implications so far. Administering the lakes has led to an international collaboration among the three countries involved.
The two Prespes Lakes are very different from each other. Small Prespa (43 square kilometerss / 16.6 square miles) has a swampy coastline, full with thickets of dense reeds and water lilies, whereas the banks of Megali Prespa, of which an area of 40 square kilometers (15.5 square miles) falls within the Greek border, are totally clear of vegetation and pebbly, same as its bottom. They are different as far as the fish they carry as well: there are different species in the two lakes.
Vegoritida Lake (also called St. Panteleimon Lake), together with Lake Petron, lie near the St. Panteleimon community. Replenished with rain or melting snow, Vegoritida is one of the deepest lakes in Greece. It lies at an altitude of 523 meters (1570 feet) and extends to 59 square kilometers (22.7 square miles), with a maximum length of 15.5 kilometers (9.6 miles), and a maximum depth of 70 meters (210 feet). Six species of fish live in its waters, sought after by both humans and the colonies of birds living in this hydro-biotope. The main human activities are agriculture, cattle raising, fishery, and hunting. There are also some scattered settlements. There are plans for tourist development, which, seen from a strictly ecological viewpoint, can have negative results for the area.
Lake Chimaditida and Lake Zazari cover an area of 9900 hectares and offer a very diverse landscape, with the two lakes surrounded by forests and cultivated land. Lake Chimaditida has extensive marshes with reeds (Phragmites, sp.) and a small area. The main human activities are agriculture, forestry, cattle raising, fishery, and hunting. There are some scattered settlements here, as well. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to drain Lake Chimaditida. The deforestation of the neighboring forests has a negative effect for birds of prey.
For the ones who have a specific interest in the ecology of this remarkable area, especially bird photographers, here are some more details:
Megali Prespa Lake and Mikri Prespa Lake
Mikri Prespa Lake is the only place in Europe (except the Danube Delta) where both the White Pelican (Pelecanus Onocrotalus) and the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus Crispus) breed. The numbers of herons (Ardeidae) are fluctuating (some species show a decline) and include the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), the Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta / photo top right merits to the Great White Egret (Egretta alba), and the Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea). Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) does not breed any more.
Other breeding species are the Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis), the Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), the Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), the Grey Goose (Anser anser - their main breeding site in Greece), the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), the Goosander (Mergus merganser), and the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator - small population, the southernmost area in Europe and the only one in Greece), the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), the Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the Hazel Grouse (Bonasa bonasia - one of the few areas in Greece), the Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca), the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus), the Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), the Medium Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius), and the Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor). During winter, thousands of ducks are recorded, despite the freezing of the lakes.
Vegoritida Lake and Lake Petron
There is still a heron colony in Lake Petron, connected to Vegoritida Lake by a narrow canal, where Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), Squacco Herons (Ardeola ralloides), and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) make their nests. There is, however, a significant decline in the numbers of the breeding birds.
Breeding species here include the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), the Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), the Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), the Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus), the Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). There are also observations of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Among the wintering water birds, we can see the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), the Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), and the Coot (Fulica atra).
Lake Chimaditida and Lake Zazari
Breeding species include the Little Bittern 9Ixobrychus minutus), the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca - the biggest population in Greece), the Pochard (Aythya ferina, the biggest population in Greece), the Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), the Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus - one of the 2 nesting sites in Greece), the Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes), the Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), the Lesser Spotted (Eagle Aquila pomarina), the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus), the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), the Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), the Roller (Coracias garrulus), and the Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor). There are also records of the White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), and the Great Snipe (Gallinago media). This area is important as a feeding site for both pelican species.
(Most of the information for this text is based on the Hellenic Ornithological Society publications.) |
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