PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The palm forest of Vai in Eastern Crete is composed of the species Phoenix theophrastii, one of the two endemic palm species in Europe (the other one, Phoenix canariensis, can be found in the Canary islands). P. theophrastii is encountered only in Crete and in south-western Turkey, and is included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. It is also covered by the priority habitat type "Palm groves of Phoenix". However, it is only in Crete that the specific species forms a grove. In all other cases (other parts of Crete and Turkey) it is only encountered in small clusters. The Vai forest is designated as a Specially Protected Area according to the Barcelona convention, an Aesthetic Forest according to the Greek legislation, a SPA according to the Birds Directive, and is part of a broader site designated as a pSCI according to the Habitats directive. The palm forest used to occupy almost 300 ha but in 1957, extensive land reclamation took place and most of the forest was destroyed. Since then it has decreased and today it covers only an area of 15.6 ha (prior to the project it was thought that the remaining forest covered 12 ha). At the perimeter of the palm forest, existing agricultural activities limit the possibility of a natural regeneration. Furthermore, being one of the main tourist attractions in Crete (approximately 200,000 tourists per year), the forest is threatened by uncontrolled tourist activities and infrastructure development, which pose a major threat not only to its ecological value but also to its aesthetic value. A Specific Management Plan exists for the area, that was elaborated by EKBY in the context of a previous LIFE-Nature project, but which has not yet been validated in any official way by the competent authorities.
OBJECTIVES
The project was based on the existing Specific Management Plan, and aimed at the conservation and restoration of the priority habitat type 'Palm groves of Phoenix'. The specific objectives were a) to improve the structure and vigour of the existing forest by limiting existing negative factors influencing it, b) to expand the distribution of the palm trees to another 26 ha, c) to regulate tourist activities, and d) to involve competent authorities and local stakeholders in conservation actions. To achieve the forest expansion/restoration, farmers were voluntarily relocated from the areas around the forest to a new area in the region (land offered by the Monastery of Toplou, who was a project partner), so that the areas surrounding the existing palm forest could be used for its restoration. The main actions were:
RESULTS
Doubling of habitat’s surface by restoration and by securing natural regeneration: The project managed to increase the surface of the habitat type 'Palm groves of Phoenix' from 15.6 to 31.7 ha. This can be considered as a significant success, particularly given the extremely limited distribution of this habitat type (with Palm groves of Phoenix theophrastii). The Vai forest was and is the best remaining specimen of this habitat type (with P. theophrastii) in the EU. The project increased its surface by restoring the habitat in an area of approximately 13.4 ha, and by securing its natural regeneration in another area of 2.7 ha. The restoration actions (fencing, planting, setting up of irrigation system, watering) proved to be quite successful, as the rate of planting success was about 95%. The pressure upon the forest from the private agricultural plots on the its western part was alleviated through land exchange. In those plots, natural regeneration proved to be satisfactory and no restoration actions were needed. Land exchange achieved was far below the initial aim (2.7 ha instead of the expected 9.2 ha). However, the beneficiary and its partner (the Monastery of Toplou, the land owner of lands offered for exchange with farmers) are planning to continue the land exchange procedures even after the end of the LIFE project. Organisation of visitor influx: The "blessing" and the "curse" of Vai is that it is an extremely visited area. About 200,000 visitors have been estimated to visit the Vai beach (the core of the forest was partly fenced even before the project). This implies that people recognise its aesthetic value, locals associate it with potential revenues related to tourism, and therefore there is an incentive to safeguard the forest. On the other hand, the uncontrolled influx of tourists, and the lack of infrastructure planning put a significant pressure on the forest, and particularly both its natural regeneration and aesthetic. The LIFE project proposed and implemented some tangible solutions. By re-organising the main visitor infrastructure (parking lot), by limiting vehicle access to the beach, and by creating complementary visitor information infrastructure, the project set the basis for organising visitor influx, and for increasing the visitors’ appreciation of the forest. However, given the delayed completion of the works, the project did not have the chance to test the effectiveness of the infrastructure and the visitors' response during the last tourist season in the course of the project. However, the beneficiary has committed himself to working on that after the end of the LIFE project. Involvement of local authorities - promotion of the concept of "sustainable" tourism: From its outset, the project managed to implicate all the main local stakeholders, either as direct partners (monastery of Toplou, forest service), or as "advisory" members (municipality of Itanos), which participated at the decision-making process of key issues related to the forest’s management. In particular, the project accumulated significant knowledge on the ecology of the Palm trees, and on their management and conservation needs. It successfully managed to transfer this knowledge to the forest service, which is the key authority for the forest’s protection, and which lacked until now some basic tools, like an underground water level monitoring system or, even more importantly, a concise forest strategy. The project provided all that (it set up a water monitoring system and elaborated management guidelines based on the project experience), and even provided some training to the forest service. The reason the project focused particularly on the forest service is that it is the authority that will carry on certain key actions after the end of the LIFE project. Given the importance of the site as a tourist destination, the project promoted the concept of sustainable tourism, a notion that has never been promoted before through a Life-nature project in Greece. This was done on a national level, through the seminar and its proceedings, as well as on a local level, through the continuous discussions with local stakeholders about the development of activities compatible with the natural character of the North-eastern edge of Crete.
