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"Lake Kerkini (along with the area of Porto Lagos), is the most significant area for hibernation of the Dalmatian Pelicans in Europe.
In the decade of ’80, almost every year, the pelicans tried to nestle in the lake making nests in small land stretches which were flooded due to the lake’s water level rising. In 2002 and 2003, the personnel of the Management Authority of Lake Kerkini and volunteers from WWF-Greece with the scientific contribution of the Biological Station Tour du Valat in France, constructed special platforms on these land stretches. As a result, the pelicans started to nestle on these platforms the next year. This colony is the first new colony in a new region the last 150 years for this threatened species.

The role of lake Kerkini is very important and multi-dimensional. Thus it has been characterized as a wetland of international importance, included in the catalogue of the Ramsar Convention (1974). The lake protects the lowland of Serres plain from flooding of the river Strymonas. It is the main water supplier for the irrigation of the area, one of the most productive areas of the country. Also, there is a significant diversity of fauna and flora. A lot of birds find shelter during winter in the wetland of Kerkini, many of which are under threat or there are in small populations.

A proportion of the people who live close to the lake are involved in fishery. Apart from its richness in fish, the lake is a place for recreation offering to its visitors a variety of activities. Also, the lake consists a field for scientific research, it can combine many ecological phenomena and a great variety of biodiversity."
www.kerkini.gr

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