A marine biodiversity to protect...
It is in the archipelago of Sporades that the marine fauna thrives the most, thanks to the first marine national park that extends between land and sea on 2 260 km2 along the coast of Alonissos. Three of the country's four species of dolphins can be found here: the short-beaked common dolphin(Delphinus delphis), the blue and white dolphin(Stenella coeruleoalba) and the bottlenose dolphin. It is also where we have the best chance to meet the very rare Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus). A critically endangered species, it is one of the most threatened mammals on the planet, with only 300 to 400 individuals recorded in the Aegean Sea. The greatest threats to the monk seal are hunting by humans, the reduction of available territories and food resources and fishing nets that cause a high mortality of seals. Historically, humans have hunted the monk seal to trade its oil and skin. Today, fishermen no longer have the right to hunt monk seals, but certain behaviors are still to be deplored. Due to overfishing and the depletion of fish resources, monk seals are likely to attack the fishermen's nets, which generates their anger and is a mortal danger for the seals. Also, due to tourism exploitation of sandy beaches, monk seals have retreated to caves and sea caves to give birth, areas that are much more dangerous for pups that cannot swim at birth. Launching in these dangerous areas often proves fatal for the pups, which no longer have access to the soft, sandy slopes of the beaches.
Three species of whales are also present in the Alonissos Marine Park: the short-finned pilot whale(Globicephala melas), 5 to 6.5 m long, the Cuvier's whale(Ziphius cavirostris), reaching 7 m, and the great sperm whale(Physeter macrocephalus), which can weigh 50 tons and measure 20 m in length. Off Samothrace, the porpoise(Phocaena phocaena) is also found. In the other islands of the group, the tourist pressure affects the frequentation of the seas by dolphins in season: you will have more chances to observe them out of season, when ferries disturb the Aegean Sea less. Unless you opt for the undisturbed shores of Samothrace where dolphins seem to enjoy themselves freely, even in season.
...as on earth ...
As far as the terrestrial fauna is concerned, it is on the side of Skyros, in the Sporades, that one must look to find a particularly rare and threatened mammal: it is the Skyrian horse, an ancient and endemic race of small horses, measuring just 1 meter at the withers. Local initiatives are trying to protect it by helping the reproduction of this animal which lives in a semi-wild state and which is less and less seen in the south of the island where it lives. Skopelos has a native sheep, called skopelos, with black eyes and ears, which is raised for its milk. As for the flora, Sporades is dotted with coniferous forests and a vegetation of bushes and shrubs such as arbutus, phillyreas, heathers, buckthorns and kermes oaks(Quercus coccifera). Evergreen trees and shrubs such as maple, wild olive, and Phoenician juniper are also common in this area.
To the north of the North Aegean complex, Samothrace is completely separate among the Greek islands. Subjected to a more humid climate and dominated by the highest peak of the Aegean outside Crete (1,611 m), it is home to twenty rivers and streams that feed a lush nature. There are more than 1,500 different plant species here. The north of the island is one of the few places in the Mediterranean where you can find the common yew(Taxus baccata) as well as preserved forests of old oaks, some of them more than 200 years old. There are also 15 endemic species. Small blue flower, the bugloss of Samothrace(Anchusa samothracica) is only present on the beach of Pachia Ammos, at the southern tip of the island. As for the wild garlic of Samothrace(Allium samothracicum), with delicate white petals, it grows only in the heights of the Chora.
The rest of the North Aegean shares many common species with Anatolia, because of its proximity to the Turkish coast. Thus, Lesbos, the third largest Greek island, was separated from the Asian continent only 12,000 years ago. Nicknamed "Emerald Island" and benefiting from varied biotopes, it is home to almost as many plant species as Samothrace. Famous for its numerous orchids, it also has two endemic species, rock plants of the brassica family: the Lesbos alyssum(Alyssum lesbiacum) and the sharp alyssum(Alyssum xiphocarpum). Among the mammals, the fox is the only predator. Small rodents and bats dominate with, among the latter, an endemic species: the small murine of Lesbos (Myotis blythi lesviacus). It is also the only European territory where the Persian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) lives. Second largest island of this group, Chios has two particularities. The first is its mastic tree or pistachio tree(Pistacia lentiscus), which, in the southern part of the island, gives the purest mastic resin in the world. The second is the chios sheep, recognizable by its black spots around the eyes and hooves. It is the origin of most sheep breeds in the Near East. As for Samos, it is the only Greek island where the golden jackal(Canis aureus) still lives. Finally, we must mention the Ottoman viper(Montivipera xanthina), native to Xanthi (Thrace), and whose venom is lethal to humans. It is present throughout the archipelago, the western half of Turkey and most of the Dodecanese islands, up to Rhodes.
... and in the air!
But what makes the particularity of the North Aegean is the richness of its ornithological fauna. The North Aegean is indeed a place of passage for more than half of the migratory birds known in Europe. They are particularly protected in Lesbos and Lemnos which welcome each year many Eleonora's falcons out of the 3 000 recorded in the world: coming from Madagascar, they nest on the island. The marshes of Lemnos, around Alyki, are protected by the Natura 2000 label: they are also home to colonies of pink flamingos and one can observe little egrets, falcinella ibis and other herons. Among the ornithological curiosities of Lesbos, it is necessary to note three couples of Bonelli's eagles out of the 800 which remain in Europe, some golden eagles and griffon vultures. The two large gulfs of the island, especially the Gulf of Kanoni, are advanced observation posts for the arrival of migratory birds in Europe. Samothrace is also a crucial nesting place for the rare Eleonora's falcon, with 80% of the Aegean pairs breeding here. The island of the Great Gods is home to over 150 species of birds in its preserved forests.
As for the marine park of Alonissos, the coastal cliffs of this region of the Sporades constitutes an important site of reproduction and nesting of certain species among the migratory waders, the raptors and the passerines. Thus the Audouin's gull(Larus audouinii), the Eleonora's falcon and the Cory's shearwater(Calonectris diomedea) nest on these coasts, while the yelkouan shearwater(Puffinus yelkouan) comes to reproduce.
