Greek fires burned 97,000 hectares of forest: WWF
ATHENS (AFP) — Disastrous fires that swept through southern Greece in August destroyed more than 97,000 hectares of forest, with about a third of it protected natural habitats, an environmental group said Thursday.
The fires in the Peloponnese peninsula south of Athens burned over 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres) overall, including agricultural land mostly covered in olive groves, a study compiled by WWF's Greek branch and scientists at Aristotelio University in northern Greece said.
More than 800 homes and nearly 800 stables were destroyed, according to Greek environment ministry figures, in blazes that raged from August 24 to September 3.
The flames also ravaged seven sites listed under the Natura 2000 European network of protected natural habitats -- a centrepiece of EU strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity -- to an extent of between eight and 50 percent.
The sites in question include the mountain reserves of Taygetos and Parnonas and the surroundings of Lake Kaiafa near the town of Zacharo, an area where most of the 67 people killed by the fires died.
WWF Hellas director Dimitris Karavellas said the group would monitor the area's recovery and form a legal team of "environment advocates" to keep an eye on land encroachment cases.
"Villas and towns must not be allowed to grow in the area, as often happens in these cases in Greece," he told a news conference.
He added that effective safeguards should be put in place to help the recovery of local flora and fauna, which includes jackals, turtles, hedgehogs and lizards.
Last month's fires burned more than 200,000 hectares of land in total, including blazes on the island of Evia northeast of Athens.
