It is the largest bird of prey in Europe, with a wingspan of 2.5 to 3 metres. It nests in the Dadia forest, its only colony in all the Balkans for many decades. It builds its nests in the treetops where it gives birth to one young a year. Long-term efforts to protect the Maurogipa, this iconic species, have been linked to the history of the protected area of the Dadia-Levkimi-Soufli National Forest Park.

After the great destructive fire of 2023, which left hundreds of thousands of burned acres behind, most people assumed that the Black vulture would leave Dadia. But data presented to the special parliamentary standing committee on environmental protection show that the Black vulture insists on nesting in the burnt and that its population has even increased, thanks to the efforts of the people of the Evros Delta & Dadia National Parks Management Unit of OFYPEKA, who installed artificial nests next to the burnt ones, so that the Black vulture could find them.

The Special Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environmental Protection was briefed on the progress of the rehabilitation of the fire-affected areas in the Dadia of Evros after the devastating fires of both 2022 and 2023. A delegation of the committee visited Dadia two days ago and today was the second time that the great stake in the restoration of this precious ecosystem was discussed. The MPs who visited Dadia found that the “forest is making a comeback” and asked the government to intensify efforts for its regeneration, restoration and shielding.

The birds of prey

Sylvia Zakak, deputy head of the Evros Delta and Dadia National Parks Management Unit of the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NEPA), said the fire did not burn with the same intensity throughout the region. In addition to the areas that were burned to the ground, there is an area where the fire burned mostly ground vegetation and some trees remained alive, in between there were green islands where animals managed to take refuge – and from these areas, experts expect to repopulate the burned areas. That is why, Ms. Zakak said, it is important that the state focus on ensuring the health of these stands and their sound management.

In 2022, about 40,000 acres burned, much of it within the core of the National Park, in a strictly protected area. In 2023 the destruction was even greater. “The birds remained in the area. During the fire they were flying around the outbreaks. There are large areas of completely burnt vegetation but among the burnt trees, there are some green trees and these are very important to be preserved, that is where the birds are now taking refuge to nest, now that they have returned and it is the breeding season,”
Mrs. Zakak said.

As she informed the committee, studies for the construction of 15 artificial nests for the Black-backed Gull began immediately after the fire. These were placed next to trees that had burned and where there were nests of this species. So artificial nests were created next to the burnt ones, so that when the birds returned and looked for a place to nest, they would have an alternative. In the next two years, it is planned to install 20 such artificial nests.

“Transporting the artificial nests to these locations was very difficult because black vultures are very shy birds and do not nest next to roads where a truck could approach for installation. A helicopter was chartered to carry the nests one by one to a point and then we placed them in these locations,” said the deputy head of the Evros Delta & Dadia National Parks Management Unit of OFYPEKA, noting that it was finally possible, after the fire, to nest 38 pairs of black vultures, two more than in previous years. Thus, this year 44 pairs of black-winged teal have been recorded and this impressive increase “is due to the tremendous efforts made over the years.”

Some of these pairs prefer to nest in burnt trees rather than leave the area. The black grouse population is also recorded with pollinators to determine where they are in case of fire, to see if the way they feed and live has changed – and this is very important to plan future actions to protect the population.

Studies are also currently underway to map the suitability of nesting habitat for the black-tailed godwit outside the national park, to determine where the species could take refuge in the wider Thrace area, in case there are no suitable nesting sites in the national park, and the main movement corridors of the species and the areas where it feeds and roosts are being remapped.

The agency, after the fire, also installed 140 artificial nests for nocturnal raptors – there were already 76 nests before the fire – i.e. all species of owls nesting in cavities located in very large old trees. Until such suitable sites were created, artificial cavities were created for these birds to nest in, which were placed in live young trees, and last year it was found that about 20 of these cavities were used, which means that the measures worked.

A monitoring program is also being implemented for the other dominant birds and the finding is that a year after the fire, during the first breeding season, the birds that had left for Africa – because most of them are migratory – returned to their territories, nested in the area and again in burnt trees, several of them.

George Tsantopoulos, professor and chairman of the Department of Forestry and Environmental and Natural Resources Management at the Democritus University of Thrace, spoke to the committee. He said that the Democritus University of Thrace, immediately after the devastating fire, listened to the concerns of the local community and funded five research projects, which will be completed in the coming months. The findings of these investigations will be very useful to all stakeholders and forestry services.

Mr. Tsantopoulos also referred to the strategic plan of the Evros Reconstruction Programme, in the preparation of which the DUT is participating. This plan includes, among others, the new forest of Dadia, the integrated restoration and sustainable water management plan, a new blue agreement in Evros, the economic and social development observatory, infrastructure safety management and risk research, and mental health.

“These studies should be started immediately, because forest ecosystems need monitoring in the first years after the fire and the revision of management plans to respond to the new situation,” he said.

Anti-erosion-flooding projects

For the actions under the program of restoration of the great natural disaster in the forest area and ecosystem of the national park of Dadia, Soufli and Lefkimi, the committee of the Parliament, the Secretary General of Forests, Efstathios Stathopoulos.

About the first phase of flood and erosion control works that have been constructed, the Secretary General of Forests informed that:

1. 1. In areas of territorial responsibility of the Soufli Forestry Department, 818 square meters of log barriers, 183 kilometers of logs were executed until April 2024, and have been completed about a year ago. The budget for the forestry department of Soufli was 1.32 million euros.
   2. In the territorial jurisdiction of the forestry department of Aixandroupolis, the largest volume and extent of the first anti-corrosion and anti-firewall works involved about 5,768 square meters of log barriers, 1,100,000 meters of logs, and 3,900 branches, with a budget of 8.5 million euros.
   3. Today, the first phase of the major flood protection works is being inaugurated to shield the new forest of Dadia in the future. These are four different contracts worth around €50 million. The funds are drawn from the TAF through the ANTINERO programme, which is also the largest prevention programme in the history of the Greek state, with clean-up, hydrological, flood protection, and erosion control works. The plan is that by the end of May, beginning of June 2026, these projects will be completed, which will shield the forest of Dadia and will be delivered to the local forestry services, residents, and visitors of Dadia.
   4. The final phase of delivery is the wild bird observatory.

“The forest returns”

“The Dadia will come back, it is already here and we see the power of nature, and all our colleagues who visited the area saw this,” said during the discussion, the chairwoman of the special standing committee for the protection of the environment, Dionisia Avgerinopoulou, and referred to the importance of moving forward with the presidential decrees for NATURA areas.

“We see that the forest is returning, and there is natural regeneration. And where there is not, there will be targeted human intervention with artificial reforestation, we hope that this will not have to be done, but even for this we have secured “our backs”, with seed collection and with the upgrading of the nursery and gin of Amygdaleza, which is the largest public nursery in Greece,” said George Amyras, special envoy of the Prime Minister for the restoration projects in Dadia.

Amyras also referred to the role of the stakeholders involved, “Apart from the local community, which is the Alpha and Omega, there are also the Forestry Cooperatives. They have played a huge role in fire management, but in the management of the forest, they are of great importance”.

Excellent work, he also said, has been done by the forest departments and forest services, which need to be strengthened with staff. “The scientific precedent for restoration of a forest environment of such an extent, we have in Greece, and it is North Evia. If you go to North Evia today, you will be surprised by the sight. There are now millions of new pine trees, reaching 1 – 1.5, even 2 meters, and as I was telling my good colleagues, up in Dadia, where we were, in North Evia, already the forestry departments are starting to thin the forest, so that it is easily manageable” said Amyras.

“We had the pleasure of seeing first-hand the management of this great disaster, the progress of the works, and how nature has worked. And here we should point out that indeed, nature always finds its way,” said ND MP Markos Kafouros. Thanks to the islands of vegetation that were saved, most of the animals and especially the birds stayed in Dadia, he pointed out.

“I think that the state is actively showing and will show even more interest in this area, which we must respect, not only for its ecosystems and its natural beauty, but also because it is the gateway to the protection of our country,” said ND MP Gina Economou.

“When there is and submitted the environmental licensing of a wind power station inside the National Park and there are plans to install 10 wind turbines inside zone b1 of the national park of the forest of Dadia, Lefkimi, Soufli and within the zone ZEP, which is the Natura network, this means that not only is it not protected, but it is destroyed, because it changes its use,” said KKE MP Diamanto Manolakou.

“No new wind farm or equivalent renewable energy plant has been licensed. The ministry has been suspended. It has assigned the O.F.P.E.KA., which has completed two months ago – if I am not mistaken – the relevant study and is awaiting its conclusion, to proceed with the next steps,” said the State Forestry Minister, Mr. Stathopoulos.

Spartan MP Petros Dimitriadis called for the strengthening of forestry services and forestry offices and pointed out that “Evrosis is a very important region, it is the gateway to Greece, but unfortunately it has been abandoned by the state and should be strengthened.”

“We have seen that, through a huge war – because war is fire – nature by itself is regenerating, assisted by the people who are doing all the work we have seen. So nature, on its own, is trying to oppose evil,” said Eleftherias MP Spyros Bibilas, and called for subsidies for work in Evros.

“Dadia is a rare ecosystem, it brings a balance between fauna and flora, and in general, it is a model forest in Europe,” Hellenic Solution MP Konstantinos Boubas said, stressing that his party is opposed to the installation of wind turbines.