Degradation of ragelands in Greece: the case of western Epirus
Wildfires and overgrazing have been the main causes of rangeland degradation in several parts of Greece. In Western Epirus, a particularly desertified region with wet Mediterranean climate, repeated wildfires and overgrazing by sheep for centuries have resulted in the destruction of forests, severe soil erosion and the establishment of pyro-zootic communities dominated by the phryganic dwarf shrub Phlomis fruticosa L. Wildfires are set by the shepherds themselves to suppress the unpalatable shrubs and make use of the desirable post-fire herbaceous community by overgrazing only to speed up the recovery of the shrubs. To combat degradation, arational management policy is needed to involve the shepherds as well, which will meet the demands of the people and also improve the rangeland and forest ecosystems of the region.
Livestock husbandry and environmental degradation in Chalki
Chalki of Dodekanese is an isolated island with a serious demographic and environmental degradation since the last century. The landscape is rocky and covered by phryganic vegetation. The main reason for this degradation is the irrational grazing by livestock. In Chalki and the 6 islets that surround it, local breeds of sheep and goats are grazing without control thus destroying not only rangelands but also the cultivated orchards. Rangelands amount to 3,500 ha and constitute the main land use. Grazing capacity is less than half of the grazing pressure. Animals have low yields while the market of the products is poorly organized. In this study, a reduction of the grazing animals by 40% is suggested with a concurrent increase of their productivity. In addition, improvement of rangeland infrastructure, forage production, shepherds’ organization and marketing of the animal products is proposed. It is expected that these interventions will increase the farmer’s income by 5 times while they will also improve the environment. It is concluded that the proposals of this study can be used as a model for combating desertification caused by livestock husbandry in other Aegean islands, too.
Land-planning distribution of breeding of sheeps and goats in the province Elassonas Larissa and her prospects of growth
This paper records the dynamics and area distributing of sheeps and goats in the providence of Εlassona and impressed similar territorial units in order to put down the factors that have to be taken into consideration for an efficient development of sheep and goat farming of the providence. For this reason we applied a cluster analysis in all the 42 municipal apartments of the area. The variables that were used concern the number of raised ovines, animal units, cultivated area and existed pasture lands. Based on number of ovines, and pasture land area as well as the combination of them is realised a similar configuration of the regions. More specifically with the last criterion four distinct territorial units are shaped and from the comparative advantages of them the possibility of growth for sheep and farming is determined together with the increase of pasture and fodder cultivation.
Quantitative and qualitative study of arthopods in herbaceous vegetation of Spata, Greece
Arthropods, potential prey animals for aves, are very important inside the airfields, because they could attract birds and create problems, like bird strikes, in flight safety. For that reason, a project has been carried out in Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” aiming at recording the arthropod species inside the airfield, which will become bird’s prey. After samplings using pitt fall traps and net sampling the results showed that the most important arthropod species were Orthoptera (fam. Tettigoniidae and Acrididae), Coleoptera (fam. Tenebrionidae, Carabidae, Silphidae, Staphylinidae), Isopoda and Aranae, with population densities highest during the spring. The most serious problem was Orthoptera, which attracted seagulls even nearby the main runways, both by their size and movement.
Habitat improvement of forest ecosystems: Influence of clear cutting on habitat use by the wild boar (Sus scrofa) in central Macedonia
The influence of clear cutting on habitat use by the wild boar was investigated, in a deciduous forest ecosystem in central Macedonia, using the method of faecal-counts. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the habitat use by wild boar in relation to time lasting from clear cutting in order to effectively improve the habitats of this game species. It was found that the sites which had been thinned more than six years ago were used by wild boar more often, whereas those which had been thinned 3 to 4 years ago were generally avoided. This can be attributed to the abundance of food and cover that a dense and high forest stand can provide to wild boar. Hence, in order to improve the habitats of the wild boar it is suggested to apply selective stand thinning, whereas clear cutting in extensive areas should be avoided. More research is needed about the long-term effects of deforestation on wild boar behavior and dynamics.
