Lesvos Biodiversity Observatory - Greece

Lesvos is a geological mosaic assembling from limestones a.o. metamorphic rocks and soils to volcanic and serpentine ones. It is characterized by three climatic profiles (semi-arid, arid–sub-humid, and a transitional one). Considering its size (1,634 km2), the island is rich in habitat types extended from thermo-Mediterranean (phrygana, scrub, pine forests), meso-Mediterranean (evergreen to semi-evergreen oak forests), through to supra-Mediterranean (deciduous oak and chestnut forests), even up to montane-Mediterranean zone (black pine forests). Furthermore, the island encompasses interesting man-made systems, such as agro-ecosystems (olive groves, cultivated & abandoned fields), terraced landscapes, graze lands, salt-works, not to forget its numerous wetlands.