Prespa National Park Research Articles

Regeneration Αnalysis of the Juniperus excelsa Mixed Stands in Prespa National Park of Greece as a Base for the Assessment of the Appropriate Silvicultural Treatment for the Conservation of the Species

Analysis of the regeneration of mixed stands of Juniperus excelsa (Greek juniper) in Prespa National Park revealed two distinct structural types: a) stands with small gaps, and b) stands without gaps. Fifteen 500-square-meter sample plots were established in each structural type. All plant species were counted in each plot, and Greek juniper plants were classified into two groups based on their regeneration status. Plants that have been established and grow under the facilitation of other plants fall into the first group, while those that have been established and grow in light, in canopy gaps, belong to the second. Regarding the regeneration of Greek juniper in the Greek juniper mixed stands with small gaps, facilitation is not the primary mechanism at work. There are less Greek juniper regeneration plants in the gap-free structural type, compared with the small-gap type. Greek juniper regeneration plant density will decrease if gaps close. Finally, in both structural types, the other species' regeneration plants exhibit higher density than those of Greek juniper. Creating gaps around Greek juniper trees by extensive intervention is one of the most successful ways for the forest practice to protect the Greek juniper mixed stands.

Qualitative Analysis Related to Palynological Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Propolis from Prespa National Park (Greece).

Propolis samples from a geographical part of northwest Greece (Prespa National Park, PNP), which is characterized as a plant endemism center and biodiversity hotspot, were characterized through pollen analysis, chemically analyzed, and biologically evaluated. The majority of the studied propolis showed typical chemical constituents (phenolic acids, flavonoids, and chalcones) of European type, while a sample of Mediterranean-type propolis (rich in diterpenes) was also identified. The palynological characterization was implemented to determine the botanical origin and to explain the chemical composition. The total phenolic content and the DPPH assay showed that the European-type propolis samples possessed strong antioxidant activity (86–91% inhibition at 200 μg/mL). Moreover, promising antibacterial activity of the extracts (MIC values 0.56–1.95 mg/mL) and moderate antifungal activity (MIC values 1.13–2.40 mg/mL) were noticed, while the sample with the highest activity had a significant content in terpenes (Mediterranean type). Propolis samples from the PNP area represent a rich source of antibacterial and antioxidant compounds and confirm the fact that propolis is a significant natural product with potential use for improving human health and stimulating the body’s defense. Finally, it is noteworthy that a significant chemical diversity was demonstrated, even in samples from a limited geographical area as this of PNP.

Bayesian Non-Parametric Thermal Thresholds for Helicoverpa armigera and Their Integration into a Digital Plant Protection System

The development of temperature-driven pest risk thresholds is a prerequisite for the buildup and implementation of smart plant protection solutions. However, the challenge is to convert short and abrupt phenology data with limited distributional information into ecological relevant information. In this work, we present a novel approach to analyze phenology data based on non-parametric Bayesian methods and develop degree-day (DD) risk thresholds for Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to be used in a decision support system for dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production. The replication of each Bayesian bootstrap generates a posterior probability for each sampling set by considering that the prior unknown distribution of pest phenology is Dirichlet distribution. We computed R = 10,000 temperature-driven pest phenology replicates, to estimate the 2.5%, 50% and 95.5% percentiles (PC) of each flight generation peak in terms of heat summations. The related DD thresholds were: 114.04 (PC 2.5%) 131.8 (PC 50%) and 150.9 (PC 95.5%) for the first, 525.8 (PC 2.5%), 551.7 (PC 50%) and 577.6 (PC 95.5%) for the second and 992.7 (PC 2.5%), 1021.5 (PC 50%) and 1050 (PC 95.5%) for the third flight, respectively. The thresholds were evaluated by estimating the posterior differences between the predicted (2021) and observed (2022) phenology metrics and are in most cases in acceptable levels. The bootstrapped Bayesian risk thresholds have the advantage to be used in modeling short and noisy data sets providing tailored pest forecast without any parametric assumptions. In a second step the above thresholds were integrated to a sub-module of a digital weather-driven real time decision support system for precise pest management for dry bean crops. The system consists of a customized cloud based telemetric meteorological network, established over the border area of the Prespa National Park in Northern Greece, and delivers real time data and pest specific forecast to the end user.

The Role of Ecotourism in the Prespa National Park in Greece. Evidence from a Travel Cost Method and Hoteliers’ Perceptions

The Prespa National Park, is situated in a cross-border region in Greece, constitutes a protected ecosystem that provides very significant ecosystem services. In this region, ecotourism may constitute a powerful driving force for both environmental protection and local economic development. Therefore, future planning and management of this area should take under consideration its potential (eco)tourism benefits. However, as most of the recreation and leisure benefits cannot be directly captured by market valuation models, non-market valuation techniques should be applied to identify them. One of the most frequently used non-market valuation techniques to assess outdoor recreational services of specific sites (e.g. forests, protected areas, cultural heritage sites etc.) is the travel cost method (TCM). This methodology aims to relate the observed behavior of visitors to the total cost of their visit. In this paper, a hybrid travel cost model is developed and then applied to determine the individual recreational values and then to measure the total benefits of ecotourism in Prespa region. Then, in order to get a more comprehensive picture about the current and future role of ecotourism in this area, two surveys were implemented on local hotel owners by using both structured and semi-structured approaches.

Local Knowledge of Past and Present Uses of Medicinal Plants in Prespa National Park, Albania

Ethnobotanical studies have highlighted the need to address temporal dynamics of local knowledge in response to socio-economic changes. The southwestern Balkans are a hotspot of folk botanical knowledge and represent a unique region to study such dynamics. The present study focused on changes in ethnomedicinal knowledge in the rural mountains of Prespa National Park, Albania. The resident ethnic Macedonian minority was fairly isolated under communism (1946–1991), with a long tradition of wild medicinal plant collection. We identified 80 adults and 20 young community members through snowball sampling based on knowledgeability of medicinal plants. In-depth open and semi-structured interviews, free-listing, and participant observation elicited ethnomedicinal knowledge on past and present uses. We recorded 82 botanical taxa belonging to 39 families. Cultural importance analyses showed that Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr. was by far the culturally most salient species. Informants perceived a steep increase in home consumption of medicinal plants compared to the communist period, despite increased globalization and market liberalization. Trade had significantly decreased but remained an important fallback option in times of economic uncertainty. We observed the phenomenon of knowledge hybridization through access to “modern” knowledge and homogenization through political influences, pointing towards a both resilient and dynamic body of knowledge.

Local ecological knowledge indicators for wild plant management: Autonomous local monitoring in Prespa, Albania

Broad consensus affirms the need to better understand the status and trends of biodiversity and the important role that local ecological knowledge (LEK) plays in establishing successful monitoring programs. Although often present, autonomous local monitoring systems are frequently ignored by externally-driven community-based or participatory conservation projects. Here we explore the autonomous LEK-led monitoring carried out by local medicinal plant harvesters to guide the management and harvesting of six locally useful medicinal plant species in Prespa National Park, Albania. Open and semi-structured interviews with harvesters (n = 22), National Park staff (n = 2) and scientific advisors (n = 2) were combined with participatory mapping, joint plot assessments with key informants and a science-led ecological plot survey. Results suggest that harvesters possessed detailed LEK and adopted a variety of socio-economic, management, ecological and environmental indicators to assess wild resources and inform their harvest practices. LEK- and science-led plot assessments generally agreed on most monitoring aspects, suggesting that LEK indicators were relevant and LEK-based perceptions were accurate and could be used to assess the status and trends of useful species. However, while LEK focused on the harvestable resource; i.e. certain individuals and plant parts, the science-based approach assessed plant populations as a whole. Official monitoring based on existing LEK-led monitoring appears to be feasible, but LEK may be more appropriate for monitoring resources for wild harvesting or certification purposes than for ‘pure’ conservation monitoring of plant populations.

Dry Grassland Types in the Prespa National Park (Nw Greece), Including the Southernmost Occurrence of the Priority Habitat Type “Pannonic Sand Steppes” (Code 6260)

Abstract A recently completed project on the Natura 2000 sites of Prespa National Park revealed that the area hosts 49 habitat types according to the EU classification, of which eight have a narrowly restricted distribution in Greece. The priority habitat type “*6260 Pannonic sand steppes” is reported here for the first time for Greece. The new locality represents its southernmost occurrence on the Balkan Peninsula. The aim of this paper therefore is to describe the Greek stands of this habitat type, investigate the factors affecting its occurrence and discuss the associated conservation issues. This is based on a total of 87 releves sampled for this study and 8 additional releves from the literature. The releves were classified by applying TWINSPAN and ordinated using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). Six vegetation units could be distinguished. One of these corresponds to the habitat type *6260 and was found exclusively on inland sand dunes. Syntaxonomically, we assigned this unit to the alliance Sileno conicae-Cerastion semidecandri s.l. of the class Koelerio-Corynephoretea. Its occurrence in the study area seems to be determined by climatic factors, as well as by the sandy substrate, while anthropogenic disturbances such as grazing also appear to be beneficial to some degree. Apart from the Koelerio-Corynephoretea, another five grassland classes were distinguished in the national park, namely the Thero-Brachypodietea, Stellarietea mediae, Festuco-Brometea, Daphno-Festucetea and Juncetea trifidi.

New records for Albania based on taxa from the Prespa National Park.

Twelve taxa are enumerated as new and three taxa confirmed for the flora of Albania. They were collected between 2007 and 2012 in the Prespa National Park of Albania which is part of the Prespa International Park, a biological protected area at the borders with F.Y.R. Macedonia and Greece. Four taxa, viz., Centaurea galicicae, Festuca galicicae, Laserpitium ochridanum and Micromeria cristata subsp. kosaninii are restricted to Dry and Galičica Mountains. Centaurea decora, a recently described species, is treated as a synonym of Centaurea soskae thus extending the known localities of the latter to the southeast. Detailed information on distribution, occurrence and habitats in Albania are provided for each taxon.

Life cycle assessment of bean production in the Prespa National Park, Greece

The aim of this cradle-to-farm-gate LCA study is the comparison of the impacts generated by different modes of cultivation of beans in the Prespa National Park in Greece. More specifically, three different bean varieties have been assessed based on three different cultivation practices: conventional, integrated and organic. Moreover, the cultivation practices of the three bean varieties are compared based on two different functional units, namely a mass and an area unit. The bean cultivation inventory is compiled from raw agricultural data for the year 2008, extracted from multiple producers involved in a pilot labelling programme. Impact assessment was performed using the CML baseline 2000 method. The results of our analysis indicate that the high input high yield bean varieties are environmentally preferable if we base our assessment on a mass-based functional unit, while the lower input lower yielding variety is preferable if we base our assessment on land use. The integrated agricultural practice is the preferable among the three, in terms of the regional acidification and eutrophication impacts and the global warming potential. On the other hand, organic cultivation of beans leads to protection of the global abiotic resources. Electricity required for irrigation is the major input that affects the environmental impacts followed by the application of sheep manure.

LOCAL LANDRACES OF DRY BEANS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.): A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION IN GREECE

ISHS XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Organic Horticulture: Productivity and Sustainability LOCAL LANDRACES OF DRY BEANS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.): A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION IN GREECE

The distribution and habitat preferences of the amphibians of Prespa National Park

The Prespa National Park has a large number ofamphibian species compared to other parts of Greeceand the Balkan Peninsula. This is due to the highvariety of habitats, the existence of relatively largeareas with shallow water around the lake and also dueto the existence of mountainous habitats very close toit. In this contribution, information is given on thebiology of the amphibians in the area, plus data onthe distribution and habitat preferences.

Conservation and management issues of Prespa National Park

The present article describes the human activities in the area and their changes and trends, given that the contemporary nature conservation key issues are closely related to past and present socio-economic and cultural conditions, both within Prespa itself and outside of it. The liberation of Prespa, a remote and rather socially isolated borderline area, from Ottoman occupation took place in 1912–13. Recent events in its environmental history have been forest clearings and human depopulation in the Civil War (1944–49), irrigation system construction in the 1960s, its ‘discovery’ by ornithologists in the late 1960s, the high emigration rates of 1960–1980, its designation as a National Park in 1974, the destructive development works of 1984–86 after Greece’s entry to the EEC and the conversion to intensive bean cultivation in the mid 1980s.

Integrated mediterranean programmes and the natural environment: A case study in Greece

A pilot action forming part of the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes (IMPs) was carried out in Prespa National Park, Greece, to improve the socio-economic conditions in the area and to develop the agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and tourism. A study on the environment of the park was carried out as part of this Programme. The study evaluated the natural conditions in the area, assessed the effects of the proposed operations on the environment, suggested opportunities for socio-economic improvement and provided guidelines for the organisation of the National Park. This paper presents certain aspects of this study and describes the mechanisms and conflicts attached to environmental conservation during implementation of the IMP.

Habitat use by water-birds in Prespa National Park, Greece

Prespa National Park in northwestern Greece is an important breeding area for a number of rare wetland bird species. Nevertheless, serious conservation problems have arisen in the park due to human activities, mainly through agricultural development. The aim of the study was to assess the ecological values of the various wetland biotopes in Prespa. The conservation potential of each water-bird habitat was assessed by recording the use by the populations of 12 species in relation to present land use. The breeding status of the same birds was also recorded from 1983 to 1986. Eight sampling sites were established where measurements of the abundance and species richness of birds either nesting or feeding-resting were made. The importance of Vromolimni and the Albanian border as the two major nesting sites for all colonial birds was documented. These breeding populations are critically dependent on wet meadow biotopes for feeding and resting during the nesting period. In particular, the semi-marsh type with dense low vegetation and higher water level supported the feeding requirements of all species studied. Conservation measures to prevent further destruction of such wetland areas are most urgently needed.

Environmental problems from practicing agriculture in Prespa National Park, Greece

Prespa National Park is situated at the northwestern corner of Greece bordering Yugoslavia and Albania and covers 25,690 ha of which 8,114 ha are lake. The remaining area is forest, rangeland and arable land in the vicinity of twelve villages. The objectives of the park authority are to preserve the wetland with its special fauna of rare bird species, its flora, the geomorphological formations of the lake and the natural environment. The nucleus of the park is comprised by Lake Mikri Prespa and the surrounding wetland. It is in this wetland that an exceptional assemblage of rare and endangered species breed. However, the park is recently undergoing rapid development of its agroecosystems in terms both of higher subsidiary energy inputs, notably irrigation, and of acreage, i.e. of substituting some of the wetland for cropland. The objective of this study was to assess the potential environmental hazards from practicing agriculture in the park and to propose measures of abatement. Assessment was based on field surveys, administration documents and interviews. Cropland is not intensively used at present. Two thirds is covered by winter cereals and the remaining by other row crops (beans and potatoes). There are no deciduous orchards. Practices are carried out without regard for environmental conservation. Farmers' attitudes towards the wildlife range from indifference to hostility because they attribute the lag in their economic development to the past restrictions imposed by the National Park Administration. The main environmental consequences from the ongoing agricultural development in Prespa are assessed to be a dramatic increase of nonpoint agricultural pollution of the lake, with phosphorus and pesticides as the primary pollutants. Moreover, accidents in the use of pesticides may lead to immediate deterioration of the nucleus wildlife habitats. Since irrigated agroecosystems are there to stay and grow in subsidiary energy, measures are needed to prevent harmful consequences. Such measures are the alleviation of the land ownership problem, adoption of cultural practices to limit soil erosion, rational use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and education of farmers. It is concluded that the internationally invaluable natural ecosystems of the park are definitely threatened by the development of the irrigated agroecosystems. The measures proposed will limit this threat and at the same time will help to perpetuate the productivity of the agroecosystems themselves.

Land Cover/Use Analysis of Prespa National Park, Greece

Prespa National Park in Greece is an important breeding-area for rare and endangered waterbird species, but people living within the Park and using its resources create serious conservation problems. An environmental management plan which will regulate mainly the human activities within the Park is therefore necessary. Such a plan should be based on a land cover/use analysis of the area, for which much of the necessary information, in the form of a thematic map, has been collected by interpreting blackand-white aerial photographs. The procedure involved the development of a classification system, transferring the interpreted data onto a base-map, field-checking the results, and tabulating the area measurements with the pertinent errors.Of the total Park area (25,690 ha), 66.5% is classified as terrestrial (forestland, rangeland, agricultural land whether irrigated, non-irrigated, or abandoned, wet meadows/marshland, barren and eroded land, and urban areas), and the remainder as aquatic (water, reedbeds). The most extensive category in the Park is forestland, much of which is seriously degraded. Rangeland provides forage for sheep and goats, being also degraded owing to uncontrolled grazing. Wet meadows/marshland are invaluable as waterbird breeding and feeding habitats, but the present use of this category as grazing fields, and its proximity to agricultural land and to the existing irrigation/drainage system, have all had negative impacts on the resource. Irrigated land is almost half of the cultivated area.The abandoned agricultural land is interspersed within the forestland and is a result of the human population decline in the area, while barren and eroded land has resulted from prolonged land misuse. Twelve old villages are distributed over the Park, being visually unobtrusive. Lake Mikri Prespa is the main water-body and covers almost the entire nucleus of the Park. Extensive reedbeds are found along the lakeshores, which are the main breeding habitats of certain waterbirds. As land cover/use analysis of the Park has shown much serious environmental degradation, conservation measures should be undertaken urgently.