General information

Project title: Sustainable management and financing of wetland biodiversity: the case of Lake Stymfalia.

Project acronym: LIFE Stymfalia

Project duration: 01 October 2013- 28 September 2018

Project areas: Greece

Project code No: LIFE12 NAT/GR/000275

Project funding: The LIFE-Stymfalia project is 50% co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE+ funding instrument.

Total project budget: € 2,013,290

EC financial contribution: € 1,006,646

Aim - Objectives

In recent years, the wetland of Stymphalia has been significantly degraded. Covered by dense reeds and lacking any management plan for the area, the result was the unsustainable use of its natural resources and the reduction of life in the Lake.

Aim

The aim of the project is the restoration of Lake Stymphalia and its long-term protection and management, through a systematic re-financing process, which will be ensured by the utilization of the reeds’ biomass removed from the wetland and the area’s unexploited biomass from agriculture residues.

Objectives

1. Enhancement of the conservation status of target-species and their habitats.
2. Institutional protection of the Natura 2000 site, through the development of a management plan and action plans for the target-species and their habitats.
3. Raising awareness of local residents (especially the farmers that use the area), regarding the project and the anticipated benefits.
4. Planning of actions by the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation in the Environment Museum of Stymphalia, in order to highlight the environmental value and the cultural landscape of Lake Stymphalia.
5. Engagement of the local community in the sustainable management of the Lake.
6. Creation of jobs, deriving from the innovative actions of the project.
7. A sustainable management system of the Natura 2000 site, which will ensure the protection of the Lake as well as the financial viability of its management.

Satellite Representation of Lake Stymphalia

The project is essentially an extension of the recently completed project "Recording and mapping of the cultural landscape of Lake Stymphalia", within the framework of the same project. In this sense, the project supports the operational implementation of the Life Stymfalia Program, after the post-life period, and enhances the potential of the interested public (members of the Life Stymfalia Program, Management Body of Mount Parnon and Moustos wetland, scientific community, local government officials, visitors to the region, etc.) to obtain immediate and up-to-date information on the state of Lake Stymphalia.

The area of Lake Stymfalia

Lake Stymphalia is located in the mountainous area of the Regional Unit of Corinthia where, according to Greek mythology, Hercules confronted and slew the Stymphalian birds. Situated in the northeastern Peloponnese at an altitude of 600m, the plateau of Stymphalia is surrounded by the mountains of Zireia, Oligyrtos, Mavrovounio and Gravias, on the southern side of the Regional Unit of Corinthia. The water basin of Stymphalia is considered to be the largest mountain lake of the Peloponnese, at the same time is the Balkans’ southernmost mountain wetland. The Lake occupies an area of 1,309 hectares. Of great interest is the Lake’s rich biodiversity, as well as the underground and visible waterways. The region’s ecological value is confirmed by its inclusion in the European Network of Protected Areas, Natura 2000. 170 species of birds (breeding species, passage migrants, and winter visitors) have been recorded in the Lake and the surrounding area.