Introduction

The geographical position of Greece, its topographical and geomorphological heterogeneity, combined with the climatic gradients and high insularity are creating environmental conditions suitable to harbor a remarkable number of plant and animal species. To date, more than 23,000 species of terrestrial and freshwater animals, more than 7,000 taxa of terrestrial plants, and 3,500 marine species have been recorded in our country, many of which are endemic. The richness and ecological value of Greece’s biodiversity and natural environment are also reflected in the protected areas of the country. The Greek section of the European Ecological Network “Natura 2000” counts 446 areas (239 Special Areas of Conservation, as defined in the European Habitats Directive (92/43/EC), 207 Special Protection Areas, as defined in the European Wild Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), and 26 Sites of Community Importance), covering 28% and 20% of the country’s terrestrial  and marine areas respectively, which are significantly higher than those recorded at the European Union level. There are also 803 areas under protection according to national legislation.

Impacts of Climate Change

Predictions for the effects of climate change on the terrestrial ecosystems of the country, as part of the Mediterranean basin, are ominous as they are for the entire Mediterranean basin. This is mainly due to the expected increase in temperature and decrease in rainfall, the increase in the duration of droughts, the increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme events and natural disasters, such as heat waves and forest fires. These are expected to affect terrestrial, coastal as well as marine ecosystems, of which coastal are to be impacted by the expected sea level rise.

At the species level, the studies available to date indicate that the main impacts of climate change are expected to become evident primarily in the behavior and functioning of organisms, their abundance, and their geographical distribution. Significant processes, such as pollination, may become asynchronous due to the different phenology and adaptations of the species involved. As far as the potential geographical or altitudinal shift or even migration is concerned, the behavior of species will depend significantly on the availability of suitable habitats, but also on the conditions that will prevail in them, particularly regarding competition with other species (e.g., species that are expected to adapt more easily to new climatic conditions or are more competitive). This means that the existence of suitable habitats will not necessarily guarantee the successful distribution shifts or migration and establishment of species in new areas. At the same time, in cases of absence of suitable habitats or in cases where distribution shifts or migration is not possible, the distribution range of some species may significantly decrease, or they may even become extinct in some areas, potentially causing further changes both in the structure and function of some ecosystems. The risk from increasing alien species invasions, which may exert competitive pressure on the native ones, is also expected to be significant.

The National Strategy and Action Plan for Biodiversity recognizes climate change and extreme weather events as one of the eleven pressures/threats for many Greek species, while the Bank of Greece Report, which examines, among other things, the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems in Greece, highlights the possibility of species invasions and the change, decrease, or even loss of certain ecosystems (either mountainous, coastal or wetlands.), with serious impcats upon species and especially on those that have small populations or restricted geographical distribution (e.g. endemic).

Suggested Solutions

The biodiversity and ecosystems sector is one of the fifteen priority sectors included in the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) (MEEN, 2016). The indicative actions and measures proposed in the Strategy for the sector’s adaptation to climate change impacts aim to:

• integrate climate change adaptation into the sector’s institutional and legislative framework, as well as in operational and strategic planning (e.g., integrating climate change impacts into development plans),
• integrate climate change adaptation consideration and actions into regional-level development planning (e.g., land use regulations),
• institutionalize new and/or improve existing biodiversity monitoring systems to take into account climate change and the evaluation of actions and policies,
• conduct studies to specify individual climate change adaptation measures (e.g., assessment of the vulnerability of ecosystems and biodiversity to climate change impacts),
• implement climate change adaptation measures, such as those aimed at reducing pressures on critical resources (e.g., conservation and sustainable management of vulnerable ecosystems and species within “Natura 2000” sites based on identified conservation targets and measures) and measures aimed at reducing the intensity of climate change impacts (e.g., enhancing the ecological connectivity of the “Natura 2000” sites network),
• improve the availability of financial resources for implementing climate change adaptation policies and measures,
• improve and acquire innovative knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation (e.g., inclusion of programs for biodiversity adaptation to climate change in national research priorities),
• improve access to information on climate change impacts and adaptation (e.g., creating a database with the results of research and management programs),
• strengthen services for the design and implementation of climate change adaptation policies and measures (e.g., availability of necessary scientific and technical tools and information),
• inform and raise awareness among students (e.g., school programs on climate change adaptation) and citizens in general.

(*) The main purpose of the proposed measures and actions is to serve as general guidelines supporting adaptation efforts in the Biodiversity and Ecosystems sector

Related Links

• European Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change – Climate-ADAPT – Biodiversity sector 

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 

• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 

• Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE)