Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
The site has a large gorge with steep rocky slopes. Forest occupies the bottom of the gorge whilst the surrounding mountain slopes are covered with a mixture of forest and maquis. Human activities include agriculture, mining, tourism and hunting.
This is an important site for breeding, passage and wintering raptors. Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Haliaeetus albicilla (wintering),
Aegypius monachus (passage),
Aquila clanga (wintering),
Aquila heliaca (wintering),
Falco naumanni (passage),
Gallinago media (passage).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The main threats include the expansion of marble quarries, road building, hunting and uncontrolled tourism development. Part of the area is a candidate SAC.
National Partial
International Partial2,380 ha of IBA covered by Aesthetic Forest (Stena Nestou, 2,380 ha). 1,125 ha of IBA covered by Wildlife Refuge (Stena Nestou/Kehrokambos, 1,125 ha).
3,000 ha of IBA covered by Wildlife Refuge (Stena Nestou/Stavroupolis, 3,000 ha). 2,336 ha of IBA covered by Special Protection Area (Stena Nestou, 2,336 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Nestos gorge (Greece). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/nestos-gorge-iba-greece on 23/11/2024.
