Visiting the forest of Dadia & Soufli

As I have promised in my previeus blog I will take you with me in a trip to Evros, the North Eastern prefecture of Greece and we are going to explore together a famous forest, the forest of Dadia, one of the last refuges for predatory birds in Europe. It is home to 36 out of 38 Europe's predatory bird species!

Dadia is a village in the northwestern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece located south-southwest of Orestiada, southwest of Soufli north of Feres and northeast of Evros . Dadia is 50 km north of Alexandroupolis, in Evros prefecture of northern Greece.

Alexandroupolis has rail, bus and air connections from Athens & Thessaloniki. There are rail and bus connections from Alexandroupolis to Soufli, and a bus service from Soufli to Dadia village, 1 km from the centre.

Dadia is also in the municipality of Soufli. Its 2001 population was 800 for the village and 823 for the municipal district.The name originates from a resinous pine wood which in the past was used for lighting.

Before the start of our tour at the forest of Dadia it was time for a coffee at the small cafe inside the WWF center waiting the small bus to carry us at the center of the forest where the observation of birds is located.

The forest of Dadia is a national park and contains some of the most natural and traditional managed ecosystems in Greece.
It has a recognized high value for the conservation of birds, at the European and Mediterranean levels, with 229 species present. This site has as unique value for the conservation of birds of prey with the impressive presence of 36 species of diurnal raptors in a total of 38 species occurring in Europe. Outstanding is the presence of the black vulture Aegypius monachus breeding colony, one of the two remaining in the European continent, as well as the presence of all 4 species of vultures, occurring in Europe.

The site also has a recognized European value for the conservation reptiles and amphibians, as 40 species have been identified, while several of them are at the border of their overall distribution.

Dadia forest area consists of traditional urban landscape, Agricultural landscape, forest and local communities in a total size of 43.000 Ha.

We had to move at the small pathways of the forest and as the small sign on the pine tree order us, we have to keep silence in order to not disturb the inhabitants of the forest.

We walked inside the forest enjoying its smell and the sound of the nature. We move ourselves and we felt like intruders of this virgin forest. We walked without make noises or talking to each other trying to keep the harmony of the senses that mother nature offered to us.

At the observation we found whatever we needed to enjoy the amazing view of this magnifisent forest.

Using the observation's telescope and binoculars we had the luck to see the huge Gypaetus to be feeded by dead animals which have been collected here from all the surrounding area of the forest.

The forest of Dadia is under the protection and one of the projects of WWF. The environmental organization WWF Greece is part of the international network of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), which comprises 50 national organizations and fights for the protection of the environment in more than 100 countries.

The WWF program attained after 4 years at this area and the project of the LIFE Nature ‘Conservation of Birds of Prey in the Dadia Forest Reserve, GR' was approved by the European Commission in June 2002, with retrospective implementation as of January of the same year.

Through a wide array of different actions, the project targeted the implementation of an integrated plan for the management and the scientific monitoring of the of the valuable habitat of the Dadia Forest and the avian species that survive within it.

The project's activities orchestrated to face the three main factors that threaten the sustainability of birds of prey populations in the Dadia Forest Reserve.

The first of these threats refered to the degradation of the forest's ecological values for raptors, and especially the reduction of food availability. This threat shall be dealt with through the maintenance of the forest openings, the construction of the five artificial ponds and the establishment of the feeding support network.

The second threat regards the stagnation of the Black Vulture population and of its reproduction rates. This threat will be explored through activities for the monitoring of the movements and the genetic diversity of the Black Vulture, while initial steps for its countering will be assumed through the operation of the feeding support network.

Finally, the last threat reflected on the issue of poisoned baits, which are used by farmers or stock breeders for the control of wild carnivores or dogs and affect vulture populations through the food chain. Towards meeting this threat, the project undertook the publication of an awareness leaflet and pursued actions for the information and sensitization of farmers and stock-breeders. Further than that, radio-tracking actions enhanced the possibilities of tracing dead vultures and mapping the extent of the threat.

After our visit at the forest of Dadia we visited Soufli, a small town close to Dadia and the place I spent one year of my life. As you have realized from my blogs I love the places that luck and life brought in my pathway. In each of them I have left pieces of my heart and it is a great pleasure for me to visit them. I like to call my life a gipsy life and I face it as a great privilege.

Soufli is a municipality in the Evros Prefecture . It has 5.000 inhabitants and is the centre of Municipality of the same name, which comprises the villages of Kornofolia, Dadia, Lykofi, Lagyna, Sidiro and Giannouli. Tradition has it that it was founded in mid 18th century, but it is certain that the area has been inhabited since the Alexandrian era.
The history of Soufli is directly related to silk, because for the last two centuries it has played decisive part in the area's economic and social cultural development. Today, Soufli is known as «the town of silk», also famous for its wine, «tsipouro» (a local strong alcoholic drink ) and its cooked meats, as well as for its rich tradition and cultural heritage.

What I will not forget from this visit in Soufli is the accidental meeting with one of my online friends. Walking around the town trying to show part of it to my partner at this trip, my aunt Yiota a car stopped at the opposite side of the road. Someone got out of the car and started to call me with my name. It was a big surprise and at the beginning I thought that somedody remembered me from the period I lived in Soufli but then... he was too young and his face was not familiar to me. My aunt looked at me but I couldn't explain to her who this handsome man was and why he called me with my name. Well... he was Vangelis, one of my 360 yahoo page's friends. It was a wonderful surprise and when a few hours later I talked with my daughter by phone, I told her... "You have a famous mother. My friends could recognize me". Well... I felt like this but most of all... because of my pages... I feel that I have a cycle of friends all around earth and I am so happy for it.

So... don't hurry to accuse internet for whatever rotten we could find in our society. I was always a fan of it and moments like those I have lived the last years because of it, they have reimbursed me with a lot of smiles.