Nature is beginning to find its rhythm again in the Dadia Forest National Park, a vast area that was severely affected by the major wildfires of 2022, 2023, and 2025. Despite the extensive destruction, life is gradually returning to the national park, with the first black vulture hatchlings now recorded in the area.

According to ERT, the birds continue to regard the Dadia forest as their main habitat and do not abandon it even after major natural disasters. The contribution of specialists has been crucial for the recovery of the population.

As biologist Sylvia Zakkak from the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency explains, three of the four main vulture species that breed in Europe live in Greece: the griffon vulture, the Cinereous Vulture (black vulture), the Egyptian vulture, and the bearded vulture.

After the fires, the trees where the black vultures built their nests were destroyed. These birds typically cover enormous distances across the Rhodope Mountains every day.

Since artificial nests began being installed in 2023, the breeding population of black vultures has increased from 36 to 47 pairs, according to the latest 2025 data.

However, many burned trees continue to collapse, reducing the availability of suitable nesting sites for the species. The young trees that have begun to grow cannot support the weight of a nest—which can reach up to three meters in diameter. For this reason, staff from the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency reinforced tree trunks with wooden structures and installed basic support platforms at the tops of young trees.

The black vultures discovered these structures and continued building their nests themselves. The first chicks have now appeared in these artificial nests.

Nature—and the living beings that inhabit it—has memory and rarely abandons its home, even after destruction. Fortunately, despite the damage caused by wildfires, wildlife continues to surprise with its resilience and persistence.