Development of a Hub for post-fire biodiversity recovery in Greece

The Commission provided support to the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA) – an independent legal entity operating under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, in the design of a Hub that monitors the post-fire impacts and recovery of biodiversity and natural capital and halt their potential loss over Greece’s terrestrial ecosystems affected by wildfires, as in the case of the Evia island during August 2021.

Context

During August 2021, the island of Evia (the second largest Greek island) suffered from a devastating landscape fire resulting in one of the largest fire events in recent history which caused severe environmental and economic impact on the island. Following this fire event, approximately 33% of the island’s total forested area and 10 000 ha of shrubs were heavily affected. With 8 sites belonging to the Natura 2000 network, the island of Evia has very rich natural ecosystems which are exceptionally valuable to people, as they provide livelihoods and food for people, play essential roles in water and nutrient cycles, prevent soil erosion, foster soil formation, and support large portions of the biodiversity.

Through the EU Biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation, the European Commission is working on the restoration of biodiversity across Member States. Similarly, the Greek Government has approved a national reforestation plan and a plan for the implementation of anti-flood projects in Evia to address post-fire impacts. The European Commission and Greece are also cooperating under dedicated actions for biodiversity recovery, in line with the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

Support Delivered

The main outcome of the project included the development of a Hub (i.e. a digital platform) to collect and centralise data regarding the state of biodiversity. This Hub acts as a knowledge and information node hosting protocols, data as well as linkages to existing datasets from EU and international initiatives. It assists the NECCA and other national stakeholders in the elaboration and implementation of measures to address post-fire biodiversity loss. This project was carried out with funding by the European Union in cooperation with SG REFORM, NECCA and the Greek Ministry of Environment.

Results achieved

This project contributed towards increasing the technical and scientific capacity of NECCA in fulfilling its responsibilities regarding biodiversity protection to address the upcoming challenges posed by climate change in Greece. The Hub also improved coordination in the design and implementation of actions for altering biodiversity loss, ecosystems and natural capital restoration after extreme fires, through a collaborative and participatory approach.