Biodiversity

The Cycladic islands are home to a rare wealth of flora that includes more than 1,600 species of plants and more than 200 species that are either rare or threatened endemic species. Themountainous relief, geological formations, and constant human presence since ancient times, have lead to a varying landscape – unique to each island and often surprisingly diverse on the same island. The Cyclades is an impressive area to the untrained eye, but also a biodiversity hotspot, acknowledged for its importance by
environmental scientists and practitioners.

The geographical position of Cycladic islands in the south-eastern corner of Europe, near Asia and Northern Africa, render them an important migration ‘corridor’ for migratory birds travelling to and from Africa, and home to a lot of common and rare bird species. A number of seabirds live here, including the Aegean seagull, endemic to the Mediterranean basin and a threatened species worldwide. Mavropetritis, a typical summer visitor to the Aegean that nests in uninhabited rocky islands or steep rocks, is among the most important birds from a global perspective, while two night birds of prey – the owl and the horned owl – are also among the
bird species that are present in the Cyclades.

We support entities that wish to protect, treat and reinstate local fauna – birds, reptiles, mammals – and to protect, preserve and regenerate local flora. We encourage knowledge exchange within and across sectors and islands, to discuss and pilot best practices that could work in more than one areas.