The Minor Eresos Wetlands in Western Lesvos

The scattered minor wetlands around Western Lesvos attract migratory and aquatic birds during the wet spring season when the wet surfaces, however small, are full of food and resting spots for exhausted migratory bird fauna. An equally significant parameter is the variety and multiformity of inland habitats that may satisfy even for some fleeting moments the environmental needs of migratory species.

Most natural wetlands in this area, such as Lapsana, Faneromeni, Faros Limena, Tsikhlionta river, the estuaries of Chrousos, Elafi, the artificial lake at Pithariou Monastery, the estuaries of Voulgaris river at Ovriokastro, Skala Eresou, etc. are rather small in extent and usually dry up relatively early in the year, so they cannot sustain bird populations to support mating birds during reproduction season. In this sense separately they cannot be considered to be significant. Their ecological value lies in the fact that jointly they form a valuable network of food supply and rest intermission for such birds and this alone necessitates the protection of the entire minor wetland system. The presence of significant reptile and amphibian species also makes protection of fresh water systems imperative in this relatively barren Western Lesvos region. At Skala Eresou, at the estuaries of the Halandra or Psaropotamos river/torrent there is a wetland for tortoises and a wide variety of rare bird species that may be observed or scientifically explored throughout the year.