The species previously existed throughout most of the country, but since its characterisation by the State as 'harmful prey' the '60s and '70s, it has been hunted mercilessly. When the international program for the conservation of Dalmatian Pelicans in Prespa started, under the coordination of Alain Crivelli, the species was listed as 'endangered', with a population of about 40-165 pairs. Today, after over twenty years of intensive efforts and the decisive contribution of WWF Greece, Prespa hosts the world's largest pelican colony with more than 1,100 pairs! The species is now strictly protected by law.

The conservation measures that are now needed, in order to secure the good conservation status of this previously endangered species are the effective control of illegal hunting, the avoidance of destructive interventions in the wetland and the active participation of the State in the conservation of their habitats.

IDENTITY
Scientific name:	Pelecanus crispus
Common name:	Dalmatian Pelican
Description:	The largest of the two European pelican species. Silver - white plumage with darker the top of the wing
Wingspan:	3,20 meters
Weight:	10 - 12 kg
Habitat:	It nests in lakes and coastal wetlands with shallow lagoons
Main threats:	Habitat destruction (drainage or other interventions in the wetlands) and illegal hunting constitute the main threats, especially during the spring (breeding season)

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By the end of the 20th century, deer populations were restricted to the peninsula of Sithonia (Chalkidiki), the mountainous range of Rhodope and Mount Parnitha. The protected Red Deer population of Parnitha seems to be the most robust in the country. Although it is certain that Red Deer existed in Parnitha during historic times, in the beginning of the 20th century deer were introduced from other European countries. It is not yet clear to what extent the present population maintains genes from the original autochthonous animals. Nevertheless, all the introduced animals belong to the same subspecies (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus).

The Red Deer is the largest herbivore (plant-eating) animal living in Greece. As an indispensable part of Greek nature, the Red Deer can play an essential role in ecosystem development, especially now that free range animal breeding is gradually abandoned.

WWF Greece supports to the work of the Parnitha Management Body, through the implementation of a special research project on the ecology of Red Deer in Parnitha, which aims to record the population and its evolution in time and habitat. At present, adverse conditions (illegal hunting being the most important) do not allow for the expansion and a sustainable future of this beautiful animal to other mountainous regions of Greece.

Listen to sounds of male deer during the reproductive period.

IDENTITY
Sceintific name:	Cervus elaphus
Common name:	Red Deer
Description:	Males have horns that are discarded once a year. Both sexes have a grey-yellowish spot around the tail (whitish in the other two Greek deer species).
Weight:	Male 75-340 kilos, female 56-254 kilos (depending on the subspecies).
Food:	A “mixed herbivore”, the deer feeds on twigs and leaves, but also on different herbs.
Habitat:	The different subspecies live in a great variety of habitats. Greek Red Deer live primarily in forests. Illegal hunting is almost entirely the main reason that restricts the expansion of the species in Greece. In addition, abandoned dogs often attack deer for food.
Main threats:	Illegal hunting is almost exclusively the cause behind the reduced range of the species in Greece. In addition, stray dogs in search for food are often left with no choice, but to attack deer.

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It prefers large tracts of clean, flat and uninhabited sand - so too do basking tourists from northern Europe, and it’s this fateful convergence of interests that has led to the turtle being placed under the threat of extinction.

Sea turtles first appeared about 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. The last of the ancient reptiles, sea turtles are like living fossils.
All turtles (marine), terrapins (freshwater) and tortoises (land), are part of the order Testudines. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the following: Flatback, the Green , the Hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley.

Loggerheads begin their life as embryos in eggs laid by females on sandy beaches. The temperature of the sand determines the sex of the hatchlings in each nest. One of the seven existing species of sea turtles, the Caretta caretta lives for over 80 years and feeds mainly on marine plants and invertebrates, showing special preference for jellyfish.

Loggerheads live at sea, but they possess lungs, so they often come to the surface to breathe. They also lay their eggs and the very same sandy beaches where they were born. Their breeding season begins in early spring. During the same nesting season, the females lay three to four times, when the night falls. They prefer sandy beaches with gentle slopes and free from any barriers, where the sand has the appropriate characteristics, temperature and humidity necessary for incubation.

When they land ashore, females dig a hole about 60 centimetres deep and lay about 120 white, small and round eggs. Hatching takes about two months. During the summer months of July and August, about 70% of the eggs will hatch. The females will return to the beach to nest after 3 – 4 years.

The hatchlings are black, five centimetres in length and weigh seventeen grams. Once hatched, they dig together their way to the surface of the beach and head to the sea. Their exit happens normally during the night or early dawn and the little turtles head immediately towards the naturally brighter horizon of the sea.

This first trip of the hatchlings to the sea is the most important in their lives, since the memory of the beach is imprinted in their memory and helps the females return to nest a few decades later. The hatchlings are threatened by many natural predators, such as crabs, gulls and larger fish. Hatchling mortality is very high: it is estimated that out of every one thousand hatchlings, only one sill survive to a reproductive age!

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta is listed in the international Red Data Book as an endangered species. The main threats to the survival of the species is the degradation of its breeding habitats, entanglement in fishing gear, and the accidental consumption of floating garbage and plastic bags.

In Greece and especially in Zakynthos, the main threats are tourism developments that undermine the conservation status of its nesting beaches and the bright lights and noise coming from human activities that disorient the hatchlings inland and result in their death.

IDENTITY
Scientific name:	Caretta caretta
Description:	One of the seven sea turtle species that exist on earth.
Length:	Up to 1 meter and 10 cm.
Habitat:	Loggerheads live at sea. They regularly come to the sea surface in order to breathe. Sandy beaches comprise their nesting habitats.
Main threats:	Degradation and destruction of breeding and nesting habitat, entanglement in fishing gear, and the accidental consumption of floating garbage and plastic bags. The most important threat however is the destruction of their nesting beaches, since these habitats cannot be replaced.

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Until the beginning of the 1950’s, this impressive bird was abundant in continental Greece and in Crete. By the 1980’s though there were just two populations of this imposing bird of prey left in the country: one on Mount Olympus and another in Dadia. The population in Dadia is nowadays the only breeding population of the species left in Greece.

Now listed as rare and legally protected, the Black Vulture faces the threat of extinction from Greece.

The main reason behind the dramatic decline in the population of the Black Vulture, which was helpful in picking up dead animals, lies in the rapid urbanisation of Greek society and the resulting reduction of free range animal herding in favour of stabling. The situation was compounded by the widespread illegal poisoning of small and medium-sized mammals that farmers and the authorities deemed “harmful” for agriculture, such as wolves and jackals. Even though the “harmful” classification has been officially scrapped and poisoning is now illegal, second-hand poisoning is the biggest threat the Black Vulture faces today. Others include problematic site selection for new wind energy parks in the area and a reduction in the number of mature trees the vulture uses to nest.

To counter these threats a feeding site was set up in Dadia so that vultures could top-up their food intake. After concerted WWF efforts in co-operation with other NGOs, an area that encompasses the Black Vulture’s nesting and feeding sites was declared protected and eventually became part of the National Park of the Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli forest in Evros that was founded in 2001.

IDENTITY
Scientific name:	Aegypius monachus
Common name:	Black Vulture
Description:	The largest European vulture. Young birds are black in colour, whereas adults are brown-black and have a brownish band around the neck. Their tail is short and their wings are wide and remain flat during flight.
Wing span:	2.8 - 3 metres
Weight:	7.5-8 kg
Habitat:	In the wider area of the forest of Dadia, the Black Vulture nests in abrupt slopes covered with mature pine forests.
Main threats:	Mortality directly or indirectly due to the reduced abundance of food and to the continued use of poisoned baits.

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in the mountains of Sterea Ellada and in other mountains along the borders with the other Balkan countries (Albania, FYRoM, Bulgaria). Although the presence of the subspecies in Greece has been referred in 9 more mountains, its present status remains to be verified. It is considered that these populations have either gone extinct or they are on the verge of extinction. It is estimated that the total Greek population does not exceed the number of 500 individuals.

he most important area for the conservation of the Balkan Chamois in Greece is the Northern Pindos mountain range, which includes the Vikos-Aoos National Park. The area includes 4 populations and almost 50 % of the national population size (about 225 individuals).

The extinction of several populations of Chamois from the Greek mountains and dramatic decline of most of the remaining populations has led to the ban on its hunting. However, illegal hunting remains the primary threat to the survival of the species in Greece. Habitat degradation, primarily through the opening of roads and the increase of human presence in previously remote mountainous areas has increased the access of poachers to the last remaining herds.

IDENTITY
Scientific name:	Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica
Common name:	Balkan Chamois
Περιγραφή:	During the winter, its fur is dark brown, almost black, while in the summer its colour turns light. Dark bands extending from the horns to its nostrils are characteristic of its head. Both sexes have horns of almost the same size, which stand upright and turn back, like hooks. It feeds on herbs, while in the winter it supplements its diet with leaves, pine needles, twigs and lichens.

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Biology
The Monk Seal is one of the 35 seal species that exist worldwide. The length of adults may reach 3.80 m., but usually does not exceed 2.5 m. The weight of young seals is about 20-30 kg and adults weigh about 300 kilos.

Its fur is short and glossy and its colour varies between parts of its body from light brown to black. Males are usually darker than females. It is precisely this dark colour of male monk seals that has given them their common name, since their body resembles the cassock of monks.

Monk seals live for about 40 years and give birth to usually one pup, once every one or two years (September – October). Pregnancy lasts for 11 months and gestation for six to eight weeks.

Its food is mainly comprised of fish and cephalopods (octopuses and squid). They forage at depths of tens of metres in search of prey, whose daily weight is about 5-10% of the animal’s body weight.

A swift swimmer, thanks to its streamlined body shape and its physiology, the Monk Seal can perform very deep dives and stay for long time periods on the sea surface. Monk seals can reduce their need for oxygen, so as to sleep in the water. When they need to breathe, they instinctively come to the surface, without distracting their sleep.

Although they spend a large part of their life at sea, where they mate, monk seals often come ashore in order to rest and give birth. Years ago, monk seals lived in groups and often came ashore on the open beaches. Nowadays, they are a rare sight and take refuge in remote caves, rocky shores and uninhabited rocky islets, away from human presence.

Threats
Until the WWII, humans hunted monk seals for the ir skin. Nowadays, seal hunting for commercial reasons is banned, yet the Mediterranean Monk Seal is more threatened than ever. The main reasons are the destruction of its habitats and deliberate killing.

The expansion of human activities on the largest part of the Greek coast, primarily for touristic development, has resulted in the dramatic degradation of the habitat of this species. The beaches which were once available to the seals for rest have now been taken over by taverns, hotels and summer houses. Even worse, the last refuges for monk seals, the caves, are accessible to speed-boat owners, who invade the privacy of these shy animals.

Another source of habitat destruction is marine pollution by industrial waste and oil products.

One major threat however is posed by the conflict for fish. Fishermen and monk seals are at odds for the declining fish stocks of the Greek seas. This conflict often results in the unfortunate killing of seals by angry fishermen, whose nets have been destroyed by the hungry animals.

WWF action
WWF Greece’s work with monk seals dates back in 1990 and for at least a decade the conservation actions of WWF’s field teams focused on the animal’s important habitats in the Ionian Sea. One significant achievement of WWF’s conservation action in the region was the designation of the north and north western coast of Zakynthos as a Site of Community Importance and the compilation of a specific environmental study for the integrated protection and development of this last refuge for monk seals in the Ionian Sea.

Since 2005, WWF Greece participates in the MOFI project, which is coordinated by the conservation NGO MOm and aims to ameliorate the conflicting relationship between monk seals and fishers.

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Until the 15th century, the distribution of the bear covered almost the entire European continent, but from the 19th century onwards it undergoes a dramatic decline, due to hunting and habitat destruction. Nowadays, the Brown Bear lives in small isolated populations scattered in a few European countries. The species is listed as threatened in the western, central and southern Europe. In all France, Spain and Italy, the total population of the species does not exceed the 200 individuals.

The Greek population is estimated to about 190-260 individuals, forming small populations in remote parts of the Pindos and Rhodope mountain ranges. These constitute the largest European populations of brown bears. Recently, brown bears appeared in mountains from which they were thought to have disappeared. However, the deaths of at least 15 animals in car accidents on the new Egnatia national highway is a very sad development and is indicative of the catastrophic impact that habitat destruction may cause on the species.

Despite being an omnivore, brown bears show obvious preference to plants, primarily wild berries, roots and mushrooms. They also love honey and occasionally feed on insects, amphibians and pastoral animals.

Bears are not naturally aggressive, but may attack when they sense danger, especially for their young. They live in forests of oak, beech and conifers of the mountainous and semi-mountainous zone. Solitary animals, bears prefer to hunt during the early hours or at dusk, when human presence is usually minimal.

Males and females meet only at the end of spring – beginning of summer to mate. In the beginning of winter, they search for sheltered parts of the forest, such as rock crevices or tree hollows, where they will hibernate for 4-5 months. During the winter, the female, still in hibernating condition, gives birth to one or two cubs weighing between 300-500 grams. During their first two years of life, the cubs follow their mother.

Illegal hunting and deliberate killing constitute the main threat to the survival of the Brown Bear. Although bear hunting has been banned since 1969, it is estimated that 15-20 bears are killed annually by illegal hunters.

The opening of roads, the construction of dams and the intensification of touristic development result in habitat fragmentation and destruction, which constitutes the most worrying threat to the survival of the species.

One positive development however is that the phenomenon of “dancer bears”, which used to be regarded as traditional spectacle dating back in the centuries, has stopped.

WWF action

In 1994, WWF Greece, together with the NGOs Arcturos and Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature launched the “Arctos” project, which was co-funded by the European Union and was supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture. This project was a pioneer for the conservation of the habitats of the brown bear in Greece. Since then, a variety of conservation activities have been undertaken by other Greek conservation NGOs, all sharing the common aim of achieving a favourable conservation status for Greece’s wonderful largest mammal.

IDENTITY
Scientific name:	Ursus Arctos
Common name:	Καφέ Αρκούδα
Description:	Το χρώμα του τριχώματος ποικίλλει στις αποχρώσεις του καφέ, ανάλογα με την ηλικία, το φύλο του ζώου, αλλά και το περιβάλλον
Height:	Το ύψος του ενήλικου ατόμου στον τράχηλο (η μικρή καμπούρα στην πλάτη της αρκούδας) φτάνει τα 1,10μ., ενώ το συνολικό μήκος από την άκρη της μύτης έως την ουρά κυμαίνεται από 1,70 έως 2,20μ.
Weight:	110-250 κιλά το αρσενικό και 70 -120 το θηλυκό Οι διακυμάνσεις οφείλονται στην εποχιακή εναπόθεση λίπους
Habitat:	Δάση οξιάς, δρύος, μαυρόπευκου, ελάτης σε υψόμετρο 800-2000μ.
Main threats:	Παράνομο κυνήγι, καταστροφή βιοτόπου

 

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