Riparian Areas of Greece: Their Definition and Characteristics

Abstract

Riparian areas are unique and of high importance ecosystems because they are adjacent to surface freshwater bodies such as streams, rivers and lakes. They are the semi-aquatic transitional zones (ecotones) between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Water, soil and vegetation are the three main characteristics that differentiate them compared to other ecosystems. Furthermore, they are present in all biomes (from deserts to tropical forests) and are found in a great range of hydrologic and geomorphologic conditions that results in a great variety of riparian habitat types. In Greece, there are five major riparian forest habitat types that also occur in most of the semi-arid Mediterranean regions. Frequent disturbance is another unique characteristic that differentiates riparian areas. The major disturbances that shape riparian areas in Greece are unpredicted flood and drought events, as well as fires but to a lesser degree. Wetlands are another important semi-aquatic ecosystems that many consider as synonymous to riparian areas. In reality, these two ecosystems overlap but they are also different since wetlands are considered as "wetter" and less disturbance driven than riparian areas.

Effect of traffic noise on Scinax nasicus advertisement call (Amphibia, Anura)

“…In both Sites (Sites A, B), particular attention was paid to the following features: (1) all ponds were primary permanent water bodies; and (2) the ponds were 100 m apart one from another. The most common vegetation emerged or surrounded the edge of all ponds, common named as transitional zones between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (zones ecotones that connects water bodies with their adjacent uplands, Zaimes et al, 2010), included cattails (Typha latifolia), willow (Salix humboldtiana), burhead (Echinodorus grandiflorus), pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), duckpotatoe (Sagittaria montevidensis), smartweed (Polygonum punctatum), and rush (Juncus pallescens). The pond areas ranged from 120 m 2 to 3000 m 2 .…”

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“…Habitat terkonfirmasi positif berada pada riparian (ekosistem non hutan jauh pemukiman) dan hutan pantai (ekosistem pantai jauh pemukiman). Habitat riparian merupakan habitat peralihan antara ekosistem darat dan akuatik (Zaimes et al, 2010). Sebuah penelitian menyebutkan tingginya aktifitas kelelawar di daerah riparian dibandingkan dengan habitat lain.…”

Assessing Riparian Areas of Greece—An Overview

“…The most distinguishable feature of the riparian areas is the vegetation [7] that differs in density as well the species composition from the adjacent terrestrial areas [8]. The vegetation is typically hydrophilic and is the result of the environmental conditions of the riparian areas.…”

“…The European Union based on Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC), requires Greece and all member countries to assess the features of their riparian areas [30,31]. In addition, EU programs such as the Natura 2000 Network and International programs such as the Ramsar Convention have recognized the importance of riparian areas in the Mediterranean region and particularly in Greece by designating many riparian areas as protected [7,23]. This has led to many research efforts on the conservation and sustainable management of these ecosystems, particularly in the European Mediterranean areas.…”