The special importance of the forest resources of our country, the great threat they face due to changing of the climate and the necessary measures to be taken for its protection have highlighted exhibition titled “Resilience of Greek Forest Ecosystems to Climate Change”, which was recently presented at Academy of Athens, also focusing on the financial aspect of these efforts. As the Minister of the Academy emphasized, Christ Zerefos, the cost of climate change in Greece is estimated at a staggering 700 billion euros by the end of the 21st century, based on a negative do-nothing (“business as usual”) scenario, while with the measures in place, it drops to 350 billion euros. adaptation and inhibition. Forest protection is becoming one of the most important aspects of these efforts. As highlighted in the report, Greece has a high diversity of forest vegetation types and represents the largest number of forest habitat types per hectare in Europe. A total of 28 forest habitat types have been recorded, which is the third highest among all EU member states. “The country’s significant biodiversity richness, together with its mild Mediterranean climate, represents a natural shield against the effects of human-induced climate change,” said Philippos Aravanopoulos, Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environment at AUTH.

The report, presented at the Academy of Athens, documents the multifaceted effects of the destruction or degradation of forest ecosystems.

The report was prepared by the interdisciplinary committee on the sustainability of forest ecosystems in Greece, the decision to establish which was made after the tragic summer of 2021 – with huge fires in Evia (more than 450,000 hectares of forest land burned down), Attica, Corinth and other places. – in collaboration with the Research Center for Atmospheric Physics and Climatology of the Academy of Athens and the Mariopoulio-Kanaginio Foundation for Environmental Sciences.

The main threats to our country’s forests and forest ecosystems are forest fires, air pollution, extreme weather events, insect and fungal invasions, and invasive alien species. Under the influence of anthropogenic climate change, and especially after 2050, all these threats are expected to increase and possibly multiply, with huge economic and social costs for Greece, the report notes. The report introduces the concept of ecosystem services that forests provide to society and provides estimates of their value. Forest ecosystem services include, according to the report, the following categories: firstsupply services such as timber and non-timber products. Secondlyregulatory services such as the role of forests in climate, flood prevention, carbon sequestration. Thirdlysupport services such as nutrient recycling, species conservation, etc. Fourth, cultural services such as recreation, satisfaction of spiritual and moral values, etc. For all these services, economic models have been developed to calculate their cost. “Estimates of the annual value of forest ecosystem services range from 30 to 126.2 euros per hectare. Thus, a fire that burns 1,000 hectares of forest area will create annual damage that, depending on the approach, will range from 30,000 to 126,200 euros. These losses refer only to loss of ecosystem services and do not include damage to infrastructure or property, or injury or loss of life. Therefore, climate change adaptation projects that reduce the number of expected fires will lead to significant benefits in ecosystem services,” noted Anastasios Xepapadeas, Honorary Professor of the Athens University of Economics and Business and the University of Bologna. With a total area of ​​39 million hectares, Greek productive forests generate over 2.83 billion euros worth of ecosystem services annually. The report estimates that forests have a conservation value of more than 176 billion euros over a 100-year period, and a sustainable conservation value over a much longer period of time of more than 283 billion euros.

Any negligence will pay dearly

700 a billion euros will reach the cost of climate change in Greece by the end of the 21st century if no action is taken.

350 a billion euros will be worth if adaptation and containment measures are taken. Protecting the forest is critical.

28 in our country, forest types of habitats have been recorded – the third largest number among all EU member states.

39 million acres is the area covered by Greek productive forests.

2.83 billion euros is the value of the ecosystem services they create each year.

Facing the danger of megafires

Welcoming the presentation and speaking about response to megafires, Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianides he stressed that “a new holistic approach is needed that puts the burden on prevention rather than repression. This should also be expressed in terms of costs, with 70% going to prevention. We are far from this goal. Last year, 100 million euros were allocated for prevention, which seemed like a drop in the ocean.” On the side of the crackdown, the minister noted that last year, steps were taken to lease aircraft, resulting in “efficiency, economy and transparency.” Mr. Stylianides emphasized the importance of the contribution of the scientific community, as well as the establishment of a national platform with all data on natural disasters. “In the conditions of the climate crisis, improvisation and jurisprudence are unacceptable,” he said characteristically.

“A new approach is needed that puts the burden on prevention rather than repression,” says responsible minister Christos Stylianidis.

According to the report, due to climate change, a significant loss of climatically suitable areas for important mountain tree species such as black pine, broadleaf oak and beech is expected. While even hardier species such as Scots pine and Scotch pine can struggle in extreme conditions, Ms. Margarita Arianutsu, Honorary Professor of the Department of Biology EKPA. Urban and suburban interface areas will face even larger and more intense fires in the current and future seasons. “As more people tend to live scattered in these areas (suburbs), the risk to people’s lives and property increases significantly,” said Kostas Kalambokidis, professor of geography at Aegean University. Interesting facts presented Haris Kontoes, Director of Research at the Athens Observatory and Scientific Director of the Operational Unit “BEYOND Earth Observation and Satellite Remote Sensing Research Center”. He emphasized the high speed of the spread of megafires, saying that in Mati the fire reached the settlement in an hour from the moment of occurrence, while emphasizing that “in East Attica, fire breaks out every six years in the same place”!

The academician presented the necessary measures to protect forests Andreas Karamanos, professor emeritus and former rector of the Agricultural University of Athens. New management plans need to be drawn up and in fact “not only for productive forests, but also for forests or woodlands that are still outside the management system. forest service (e.g. coniferous forests or temperate scrub).