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Environmental information systems
Greece consists of a mountainous peninsula mainland with a large number of islands. It has a terrestrial area of close to 132,000km² and a marine area close to 48,800km² bordered by 4 other countries. The highest point is Mount Olympus at 2,917m. Greece has a population of 10.4 million people and a population density of 79.1 people per km².
of land
is covered
by protected areas
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of 's land was designated as protected areas, above the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, surpasses the EU value of 13.7%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in did not substantially change.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In the majority of protected areas in the terrestrial environment, accounting for are designated as Natura 2000 sites. Other protected areas are designated by national laws, representing . In the marine waters of , the majority of protected areas, accounting for , are designated as Natura 2000 sites.
Spatial distribution of protected areas network
Protected areas designated under national laws
Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network
Size distribution of protected areas network
About half of terrestrial protected areas in Greece are quite large in size – 10-100km2, with small (smaller than 1km2) protected areas representing only about 8% of the terrestrial network – a figure that is significantly lower than the EU average. In the marine waters of Greece, larger protected areas also represent the majority of the network with 53% of them being 100-1,000km2 and about 6% larger than 1,000km2.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 21% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 69% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.
Protected species composition by taxonomic group
In , the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 51.7%. They are followed by fishes, accounting for 10.4% of protected species, and vascular plants, representing 10.1%.
Conservation Status by Taxa
In , the assessment of species groups reveals that amphibians have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 76.4%. Following closely behind are reptiles, with 74.5% of species in good conservation status. On the other hand, non-vascular plants exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 100%.
Habitats protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 38.2% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In 48.3% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is considerably above the EU average of 14.7%. The proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 5.6%, is largely below the EU average of 35.8%.
Protected habitat composition by group
In the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests, accounting for 31.4% of the total. Coastal and salt-tolerant habitats encompass 16.8% of the protected habitats.
Conservation status by group
In the assessment of habitat groups reveals that sclerophyllous scrub have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 85.7%. Following behind are rocky habitats, with 83.3% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, sclerophyllous scrub exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status, reaching 14.2%, while coastal habitats have a proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 13.3%.
Greece is predominantly characterised by three main types of ecosystems: Forest ecosystems, which cover 42% of the country, followed by Agroecosystems occupying 36.83% of the land area, andHeathlands accounting for 16.5%. However, Greece has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (3.7%), rivers and lakes (0.8%), and wetland ecosystems (0.2%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 49.2% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 29% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands contribute to 17.1% of the protected areas, while rivers and lakes represent 1.7%, and urban areas comprise 1.6%. Wetlands account for 0.4% of the protected areas.