Assessing Riparian Areas of Greece—An Overview

George N. Zaimes and Valasia Iakovoglou
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George N. Zaimes: UNESCO Chair Con-E-Ect, Conservation and Ecotourism of Riparian and Deltaic Ecosystems, International Hellenic University (IHU), 66100 Drama, Greece
Valasia Iakovoglou: UNESCO Chair Con-E-Ect, Conservation and Ecotourism of Riparian and Deltaic Ecosystems, International Hellenic University (IHU), 66100 Drama, Greece

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Riparian areas, especially in the Mediterranean, offer many ecosystem services for the welfare of society benefits from their sustainable management. This study presents different tools used to assess riparian areas of Greece and their results. Riparian areas with different land-uses/vegetation covers along streams or torrents were assessed. The assessment tools were visual protocols, bioindicators, geographic information systems (GIS), vegetation indices, and a model. These tools differ in scale, accuracy, and difficulty of implementation. The riparian areas had Low and Moderate quality in Greece because of agricultural activities and hydrologic alterations. Vegetation appeared more important for the integrity of riparian areas than stream flow (perennial or intermittent). In addition, territorial variables (distance from dam and sea) were more influential compared to climatic variables. Visual protocols and GIS were effective for preliminary assessments. GIS can be applied at a greater scale but was less accurate than the protocols. Bioindicators can provide more cost-effective monitoring than physicochemical water variables. Finally, vegetation indices and models can be used for larger spatial and temporal scales, but require specialized personnel. Overall, riparian areas of Greece seem to be degraded, and monitoring would contribute to the development of a database on riparian areas that should form the basis for sustainable management plans in Greece.

Keywords: sustainable management; visual protocols; bioindicators; vegetation indices; random forest (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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