Sunday, July 27, 2014

Biel and Tan: Flora of Samothraki (2014)



Sunday 27th of July 2014

Just published: http://www.samothraki.com/flora/biel/buch_flora_e.htm

And see: http://www.samothraki.com/flora/flora_e.h

I consider this book a wonderful gift to our culture and to our beautiful island. On behalf of the Samothraki Nature Observatory team I want to thank the authors, the Publisher and the Goulandris Museum of Natural History.

The book is an act of love for nature. A natural history work that is well executed and clearly defined in building a list: Samothraki's first near-complete floral list. The book does a very general description of the vegetation but focuses more on the flora. And it shows how much more the island can give to naturalists, it is still not completely explored territory. There is so much there that needs to me charted, described, interpreted, protected. Thanks so much to the authors for their wonderful work!

I will be surveying on Samothraki (the riparian woodland assesment, fishes and the wetlands)  in the next few days, if anyone is on the island who would like to meet with our Samothraki Nature Observatory team - please call on me! 


To order this book?

You can order this book directly from the Goulandris Natural History Museum of Kifissia in Greece. The book costs per piece 50, - €. There are shipping costs of 16.50 € to. Send your order by e-mail to Mr. Papazoglou Vassilis vpapaz@gnhm.gr  or Ms. Vasso Koussoula vkous@gnhm.gr 




Friday, July 25, 2014

Natura and fishes in Greece


One of Greece's "protected" Barbels (Barbus sp); shown here in bright golden hues in a mountain stream on the eastern side of the Pindos range. We need to use pics like this for propaganda, how many scientists take such pics?

Natura 2000 and Fish Conservation in Greece

Fish are rather 'invisible' as objects for natural heritage conservation. They are also poorly known generally; although specialists have studied many in depth (lets say more than amphibians, bats, and most inverts, for example).

Fish tend to look the same to people. And few know their specific names. Few experts strive to standardize national names (as is a trend in birds, for example). And the taxonomy is difficult; more difficult today even though we know more. Look at their scientific names...constant change.

We have scientific names which after 2007 especially have seen great name shifts with the widespread adaptation of a new species concept - the Phylogenetic Species Concept. The notion of subspecies is 'extinct' and all slightly varying populations that usually have some sort of distinct character (in form and genes) are now labeled as "new species". Some variants are lumped, some are left for "future work".

English names are embarrassingly unstable in fishes also. Even European fish names have been very poorly standardized, often 'local names' are given and they are unruly; for Greek fishes these are sometimes ridiculous (see Bafa for Tropidophoxinellus, Skarouni for Luciobarbus greacus, Marida for Pelasgus...). Modern Greek names are pretty bad too; considering that the Greek language has lent more descriptive species scientific names than any other. It shows that modern society plainly does not care.

So how to get society to protect our rare and 'protected' fishes? Because if society doesn't want - you will not see any 'natura' applied.

This is why I feel scientistd doing 'fish research' in this country have a double obligation:

a) Do meaningful conservation science. For example, prioritize to make your work conservation relevant. Stabilize the names asap; help to stop manic splitting.

b) Reach out to the public. Spend 20% of your professional effort as scientists to do what I call "naturalist activism". Nature interpretation, promotion, strategic propaganda - guiding the public, sensitizing, creating care-takers for fish and their habitats.  Explain what taxonomy is; how it works and the need to respect variation, spatially distinct populations, and the uncertainties in this perpetual naming game. Explain this to public and to policy makers.

Well in ending this rambling note, I provide some snippets from Natura Surveillance work on the thematic of "Fishes of European Community Interest: Their conservation status in Greece" (A big project funded by our Hellenic Ministry of Environment and all you guys reading this in the EU states). Four institutes are working on this - and supported by many scientists (HCMR, Aristotle Univ. of Thessaloniki, INALE and University of Ioannina). We are assessing the status of 72 species of fishes (mostly inland water taxa); we are doing this in collaborations.

I thank all our workers, they know who they are.

Some field snapshots to help bring this out a bit:

A lot of our work is done on computers! Google Earth really helps. But who know where those springs are (if they still have water...) near Lake Karla?
Prague ichthyologist Jasna and Karla ichthyologist Maria planning out searches in Thessaly. Where is the habitat of the Cobitis stephanidisi? Is the habitat "extinct".  (NB: yes, unfortunately).

The Sperchios Schneider (Alburnoides sp. Sperchios); a species looking for a God Father....It is still un-named despite knowledge of its unique "basal" position among European Shneiders (also known as Sprilins).

Take just 20% of the water and the stream goes dry, Barbels gone. A picture from the Upper Sperchios river on Mount Timphristos.
Barbels; a protected species of EU community interest and one of 72 taxa that are represented in the Annexes of the EU Habitats Directive. These specimens are from a spring in Eastern Macedonia near Serres Town. The look very similar to the "Golden" species on top, but are another species.
A Species of Community Interest that is common and widespread in northern Greece - the Bitterling. Photographed in spawning colours in April at Dadia National Park in Thrace (Dadia Diavolorema).  A protected species like this may lend value to many small lowland streams that are in danger of being dried-out by wasteful water over-abstraction.

Nektarios and Elena looking for fish...The first question: Is this a naturally intermittent or an artificially intermittent river? In artificially degraded by human exploitation we have a problem both for water management and conservation. (Photo from a tributary in the Othrys foothills of the Sperchios basin).
Another "Golden" fish, a widespread ENDEMIC o f the southern Balkans that is not on the Species of Community List; the Thracian Chub Squalius orpheus. Photographed here in  a small stream in the Eastern Rhodope north of Komotini (note the Alder leaves). The speceis need water despite being a true "surviver"!!! 
Within Zakynthos National Marine Park. An uncommon sign in Greece. We need to do more.


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Acheloos my love


Mid July 2014 The Upper Acheloos River Basin, Pindos Mountains Greece

Since the days of my PhD work I have been visiting this part of Greece's major mountain river - a true wild river landscape. It is a mountain river of grand proportions, cold-water tributaries with West Balkan Trout and active main-stem with Montane Cyprinid fishes. Small villages like Mesochora are so much part of the river cultural element also. All of this is in the shadow of a now famous mega-dam and river diversion debate...now entering 3 decades of controversy!  The Mesochora Dam is 'complete' but it is still not flooding the valley, the fight is in the courts - and for me this is good. As many ecologists, I am personally against this diversion, I am against the desecration of this landscape, this poorly planned and wasteful attempt that does not respect the nature of our largest wild mountain river. It also does not respect the potential for conservation and development of this unique landscape. Would you tear-apart a river landscape you love?

However, the fishes of the valley are already affected  (by the barrier caused by the dam and tunnel...) and they are affected by uncontrolled illegal fishing also. So we found few fishes in our recent fish habitat work there. It was so frustrating to work so hard to snorkel in a variety of places and see so few fish.

In our project EcoFlow we are working to understand the ecological requirements caused by water abstraction and dams - and we are using fish as indicators. But its not just fish.

My love to all who participate in the pursuit of knowledge and truth, the river is our classroom.











"Reference river" in Epirus Greece

Three mega-sized West Balkan Trout in a river pool 3.5 m. deep (!!!)  in the Aoos river basin. Ok, they like deep flowing waters....

July 19th 2014 Epirus Northwest Greece

What are reference conditions for for fish community in the the Balkan mountain rivers? The 'natural conditions', conditions of complete integrity. And how do these fish behave under natural conditions, what exact habitat requirements do they have? Ok. Lesson finished.

To learn more... Spend some time snorkeling in a protected river like this one in Northern Pindos National Park. My colleagues Rafael Munoz Mas and Christina Papadakis are doing an amazing job finding the trout, studying behaviour, locating habitat preferences, and recording parameters (hydrological, and microhabitat). It is really hard work, but...paradise for a potamologist. Great project!

I dedicate this post to the West Balkan Trout Salmo fariodes of the Aoos river basin, what an amazing fish!











Friday, July 18, 2014

Rivers in Epirus Greece




July 18th 2014

We are studying habitat requirements of river fishes, especially the local trout. Now working in a river in Epirus in northwestern Greece. The trout here are especially large-sized since this is within a fairly well protected national park. We snorkeled in waters that are the coldest large river waters in this country - it was 10.3 C this midday on this spring-fed river. Northern Pindos National Park does need special care and the West Balkan Trout Salmo fariodes is a conservation icon that must be cherished.

I will try to post more about our work in the near future.For further information on the Habitat Suitability research of fishes for ecological flow management see our site at http://www.ecoflow.gr/en/