Due to high biodiversity and the regulation/balance of so many trophic chains, wetlands are one of the most important ecosystems in the world, but also the most threatened by human activities. In some parts of the world, where there is not enough knowledge about them, people conceive these areas as infected by mosquitoes and illnesses. Dumping garbage and material from construction sites has been very common in Greek wetlands, as well as the leakage of pesticides and fertilizers used on the nearby agricultural lands. So far, a few NGOs have been running conservation and restoration projects in order to protect these environmental key elements in some of the islands of Greece.
From the Terrestrial Team of Archipelagos, we would like to highlight the importance of small wetlands around the island of Samos and also improve the connectivity among them, (because if one of them disappears or the status is not good enough, some species of the flora and fauna on the island would be affected.) We will focus our attention at Mesokampos Marsh, a reed-bed wetland by the coast, next to Mykali beach, where we can find a high vegetation diversity in the surrounding areas, that allows a high faunistic diversity as well. Mostly on birds, such as herons, shags, hawks, owls and dozens of small birds among which can be mentioned the red-start, robin, several finches and warblers, jay, etc. There is a water flow from an abandoned mill at the corner of the marsh, until the shore.
At this mill, we can find at least three of its sections covered by water right now, with fish, eel and turtles. Our goal is to adequate the abandoned building and everything inside its walls, to provide a better place by increasing the biodiversity and cleaning it up for the animals that may look for a nice and quiet space to rest or shelter.
First of all, we need to evaluate the actual status of the area. The Terrestrial Team, in collaboration with members of other teams such as Marine Conservation or Media are going to the place for weekly surveys that include vegetation and aquatic monitoring, and also bird watching during sunrise. This is as an assessment of the current biota. But also during the survey there will be done water and sediment analysis for the abiotic side, because both of them are considered as part of the ecosystems. We want to study the totality of it for a better understanding, and consequently, better actions.
Irene Santander Rodriguez, Environmental Sciences, University of Granada, Spain