August . A month filled with holidays for many. Chances are that while you are reading this I am also on my holiday , hopefully happily sailing (yes, again). Maybe I will be somewhere in the Amvrakikos gulf .. I have already mentioned the wonderfulness of sailing life (and all the does and don’t) as well as the mental-health benefits of being in nature . I want to re-iterate the importance of being immersed in nature: Try to stop for a minute to watch an animal (Of any kind , whether an ant , a bee , a bird .. whatever you have on your doorstep) and tell me that you are not inspired.
They are hard working and go on no matter what we are doing nearby , they really try to make do with whatever they are left with. Because we are not just a predator or a competitor , we are worse ; taking away habitat , their food, polluting their food and the air (and well also our own , but that’s another story). Yet nature goes on .. I am really excited about the Amvrakikos (as I am writing this I am not there yet , although I am sailing somewhere further up north and I am immersed in nature anyway..) - it has been 12 years since my last proper visit to the gulf part, it was my first Greek sail and my first (and only) dolphin ‘eye contact’ . I am putting too much expectations, perhaps, and hoping not to find it changed by cruisers and charters . I remember dolphins, pelicans (the picture of this post is from there) .. I am day-dreaming as I am writing. The Amvrakikos js a Natura 2000 site so I am hoping that it will still be protected: the local administration seems to have a great centre there for conservation.. Plus , they did some great work already . Those pelicans I saw in 2008 were probably there thanks to a restoration plan.. reading on the European page for this natura2000 one can read: 'careful planning was all the more important considering the innovative nature of the techniques used, especially for the restoration of the hydrology of the wetlands which had a major impact on the landscape. But the results spoke for themselves. The lagoons responded immediately after being reconnected to their source of freshwater from the Louros river. A couple of months after the works were completed the vegetation structure evolved, the calcareous fens started to recover and the salinity levels in the two lagoons decreased significantly. This not only benefited the local wildlife but also the fishing community who relied on the productive lagoons for their catch of eel and other fish. Another measure with high-demonstration value was the creation of artificial islets for Pelicans. This was the first time that such techniques were tested in Greece. The local population increased from 32 pairs to 92 pairs within 3 years from 2000 to 2003. The experience gained in both initiatives attracted the attention of many other wetland conservationists in Greece who sought to learn from the techniques developed in Amvrakikos and adapt them to their own situations. Documents were produced by the project to help pass this experience on further' A great effort , showing that it is possible to coordinate big actions As a big autumn is coming ahead with both some very careful science and some large management action - I want to use this time to be positive and hopeful.. Do the same, and try to stop and look and be inspired by nature's resilience. Let’s not bank on that though and let’s plan to give it a helpful hand- really, try to spend this holidays being immersed in nature and think of some positive actions that can be done on a small local scale. It is a collection of local actions that make global efforts...
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