Contribution of the pseudoalpine rangelands of mounts Voras, Pinovo and Tzena to the conservation of fauna

The grasslands of the pseudoalpine zone offer many goods and services, such as production of water, forage for herbivores, important habitats for wild fauna (mammals and birds), outdoor recreation, stock of rare species of flora and fauna etc. The areas of mounts Voras, Pinovo and Tzena in northern Greece were studied during the ENVIREG project, which has financed by the Hellenic Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, for inclusion in the European Union network of Special Protection Areas (SPAs), in accordance with article 4 of the Directive 79/409/EEC for the protection of the wild fauna. In the rangelands there is a variety of plant species of the Balkan Peninsula. The pseudoalpine rangeands on mount Voras cover 12.100 ha or 23% of its total area, while on mounts Pinovo and Tzena they cover 4.000 ha or the 30% of their total area. The vegetation structure in the pseudoalpine zone, the existence of intense geomorphologic formations, the vegetation of the timberline zone and the designation of three permanent Wildlife Refuges, have resulted in the preservation of an important number of wild fauna species which found there food and protection. Among the most important species found in the pseudoalpine rangelands are the deer (Capreolus capreolus), the wild goat (Rupicapra rupicapra) and the bear (Ursus arctos). Furthermore, the rangelands of mount Voras comprise the habitat of 40 wild fauna species, while 38 species are found in the rangelands of mounts Pinovo and Tzena.