PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Rouvas’ forest is located in the south-eastern part of Idi mountain in central Crete, and is one of the few remaining forests not only in the Prefecture of Heraclion but in Crete in general. It is part of the much larger pSCI of Idi mountain, which is also called Psiloritis. The dominant species is Quercus coccifera, which usually remains at the size and structure of a bush, but in this particular case has reached tree size and structure. In addition, some threatened plant species, such as the priority endemic orchid Cephalantera cucullata (priority species according to the Habitats Directive) and the endemic tree Zelcova abelicea (not covered by the Habitats Directive), can also be encountered. The main problem threatening the conservation of the forest is its ageing, mainly due to overgrazing which results also in soil erosion. At the same time, frequent woodland fires obstruct the natural regeneration of the forest. Other human activities, such as excessive hunting and the collection of rare fauna and flora species, lead to the impoverishment of the habitat’s biodiversity.
OBJECTIVES
The project aimed at the long-term protection of the oak forest and the rare species that can be encountered in its territory. The expected results that had been set out according to the approved proposal were the following:
Woodland regeneration on 100 hectares Protection of endangered species (Zelkova abelicea, Cephalanthera cucullata) and introduction in other parts of the forest Rational management of pastureland surrounding the woodland Public awareness increase Attraction of 7,000 visitors per year The following actions were foreseen to attain the aforementioned results: control of grazing in the woodland’s core (fencing and regulated presence of flocks), improvement of pastureland in adjacent areas outside the forest in order to compensate livestock farmers, creation of a nursery and reinforcement in order to protect rare plant species of the area, specific actions for the endemic orchid,
Cephalantera cucullata, wardening, public awareness campaign.
RESULTS
The project was undertaken by the municipality of Rouvas, in collaboration with the local development company AKOM-M. The municipality was the first one in Greece to be the beneficiary of a LIFE-Nature project. It was also the first conservation effort that took place in the Rouvas forest, allowing the implementation of a series of actions targeting exclusively the forest area and enabling the municipality to start raising certain issues, such as grazing management, that had not been tackled before. Most of the actions foreseen were carried out, despite some delays during the project:
As planned, 100 Hectares of woodland were fenced. Thanks to this action and to the removal of goats, the basis was set for the regeneration of the core area of the forest. However, given that the fencing was completed only 6 months prior to the project’s end, no results were obtained during the project. In parallel, 15 hectares of pastureland outside the forest were improved. Unfortunaly it was not possible to extend this action to a larger area since, according to the municipality, a larger pastureland would have created problems with livestock owners. Given the delayed seeding, the use by livestock was not possible before the beginning of Spring 2002, after the end of the project. The two endangered species (Zelkova abelicea, Cephalanthera cucullata) were protected through fencing, but no attempts were made to introduce them in other parts of the forest. Spots of Cephalanthera cucullata inside Rouva’s forest with high population of the species were identified and fenced for protection, as well as two colonies in Koukounarolakos. The only individuals that were not fenced are those located in spots inaccessible to humans and goats. The beneficiary also gave some individual fences to livestock owners, so that they could protect additional trees, not identified during the study. In order to increase the availability of Cretan plants, a nursery was created near Rouvas, including a planting area, a greenhouse and auxiliary spaces. But given that it was completed only towards the end of the project, no Cretan flora species were available for distribution to the local forest service and to individuals during the project. Three old lodges were renovated and equipped in order to be used by the 2 wardens hired for the project. They were responsible for guarding the area from fires and illegal hunting, but also visitor control, public awareness, and the monitoring of the enclosed area in the forest's core area. Last, the project managed to increase public awareness of the local population, and mainly of local livestock owners, thanks to a series of communication material and of interesting events, such as the specialised seminar for young livestock owners. A two-week seminar covering practical topics related to grassland management took place and targeted 38 young livestock raisers. A small building was also renovated in the centre of Gergeri village, in order to provide to visitors the necessary information concerning the forest as well as to hand out communication material. Furthermore, two viewpoints were constructed with local materials, and two paths leading to those viewpoints were opened or cleaned up.
