Habitat and hydrological–hydrochemical characteristics of the Agras wetland (Northern Greece)

Abstract The Agras wetland located in the Prefecture of Pella, Macedonia, North Greece, is a semi-artificial wetland that was created as a reservoir by the Public Power Corporation (PPC) in 1950. The wetland quickly turned into an important natural resource for the whole area. Partly due to European legislation (Birds Directive 79/409/EEC, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EEC) and partly to its recognized environmental and local economic value, the state designated the wetland as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and proposed its inclusion into the European Natura 2000 Network (Limni Agra, GR1240004). The aim of this paper was to study and relate the important biotic and abiotic factors of the wetland, and to assess the human impact on its functions, through the establishment and operation of a baseline monitoring system. The ecological research shows that the wetland's core area comprises an impressive mosaic of eight land-use categories and seven natural vegetation types....