Rodopi Montation National Park's presentation during the BioEUParks kickoff meeting in Berlin in April 2013

1. The Rodopi Mountain Range
National Park (RMRNP)
(GREECE)
Presentation by:
Stavros Kechagioglou, M.Sc. Wood Τechnology
Forester at Forest Service of Drama
Vice President of the Management Body of RMRNP
skehagio@gmail.com

2. The Rodopi Mountain Range National
Park (RMRNP)

3. The Rodopi Mountain Range
National Park (RMRNP)

4. The significance of RMRNP
•The total area of RMRNP is 173,150 ha.
•Inside RMRNP can be found all the vegetation zones
of Europe.
•Almost 60% of the European species can be met
here.
Subalpine meadow - FalakroPicea abies - Elatia

5. The most productive forests of Greece
Spruce forest of Elatia Virgin Forest of Fracto
Preserved natural monument of Tsichla – Chaidou

6. Flora of RMRNP (forest species)
• Pine forest
• Black Pine
• Spruce
• Beech
• Oak
• Birch
• Alder
• Fir

7. Fauna of RMRNP
• Deer (Cervus elaphus)
• Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
• Chamois (Rupicarpa rupicarpa)
• Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)
• Wolf (Canis lupus)
• Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
• Wildcat (Felis silvestris)
• Forestry-grouse (Bonasia bonasia)
• Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)

8. Protected areas of RMRNP
• Seven (7) areas integrated into Natura 2000 network
• Two (2) SPA
• Five (5) SCI
• Two (2) Preserved Natural Monuments
• Six (6) Wild life Reserves
• Three (3) Biogenetic Stocks areas
Dam of Platanovrysi
Lilium rhodopaeum
Lathraea rhodopaea
Amanita muscaria

9. Management Bodies of RMRNP and the
Legal framework of Protection
RMRNP managed by the:
•Management Body of Rodopi Mountain Range
National Park (MBRMRNP) and the
•Forest Services of Drama and Xanthi
Legislation framework :
•Council Directive 92/43/EEC
•Council Directive 2009/147/ΕU
•Council Directive 2009/28/ΕC
•National Law 3044/2002
•National Law 40379/2009

10. RED 2009/28/EC
The Directive 2009/28/EC :concerns the RMRNP and largely
determines the country's policy on Renewable Energy.
The commitment by Greece to obtain specific percentages
of the total electricity production from renewable energy
sources has led to declaration of high interest, regarding
the generation of electricity from renewable sources,
mostly hydropower.
Number of applications for R.E.
SOLAR ENERGY
WIND ENERGY
HYDRO ENERGY

11. RED 2009/28/EC
• The above demand causes great pressure, which the
RMRNP must face sustainably, with the help of the
National Legislation.
• According to our experience, the best practice to be
followed, especially in the areas of Network NATURA
2000, is to evaluate the regional energy potential of
different forms seperately. This evaluation should
take into consideration the consequences on the
under protection object, so that specific
enviromental protection guidelines will be
formulated in the implementation of the legislation.

12. Management Plan - Aims
Concept of the management plans: sustainable
management.
Aims:
• The protection, the environmental interpretation
and conservation of:
1) an abundant and significant number of species
of wild life and their habitats,
2) the biodiversity and all the natural processes that
occur,
3) the culture and the history of the area.
• Public education and awareness about the harmonic
coexistence of human activity and nature.

13. Zones of Protection
•A zone: Strict nature reserve
•B zone: Nature reserve
•C zone: Special management area

14. Permitted actions
•Scientific research
•Management activities
•Surveillance - guarding
•Archaeological researchNatrix natrix
Drosera rotundifoliaUpupa epops

15. Timber Production
•Αbout 8.000.000 € income by timber
production.
•Wood for heating energy purposes is
about 39% of the total wood volume
production.
•Seventy (70) and activated more
forestry cooperatives in RMRNP.
•About 700 employees.
•Average annual timber production
about 278.000 cubic meters.

16. Solid biomass
As for the area of RMRNP:
• Only 2.7 % of the park is covered by agricultural areas, 12% by
graze land and almost 80% is covered by forest and forest
lands. The rest area is covered by water and infrastructures.
• From the forest lands only 33% are high productive forests and
the rest are low and medium productive forests.
• The forest land presents a stocking of 16.000.000m3.
• The annual wood yield is 40.000m3 (26.000 tons) of which the
39 % of the forest annual yield is used for heating use without
changing the current use of wood.
• We consider an annual growth of 7 m3/(ha per year) for
coniferous and 3.5 for Mediterranean forests.
• For agricultural areas we suppose a straw production of 2000
kg/(ha per year) for the wheat and 10000 kg/(ha per year) for
corn corps.
• Moreover we estimate that only 50% of the produced biomass
can be used because of technical and logistic problems.
• For the biomass we consider a Lower Calorific Value of 3
kWh/kg.

17. In order to calculate the quantity of thermal energy and
electrical energy produced, we assume that:
• 0% of the biomass is used in CHP plants in association
with ORC turbogenerators.
• 80% of the biomass is used to feed up heating stoved
and manually fed heating plants. We assume 50%
efficiency for these systems.
• 20% of the biomass is used to feed up new heating
plants – pellets and chips stoves and plants. We
assume 80% efficiency for this plants.
Solid biomass

18. Thank you for your attention !!!