Autumn 2002 No. 14

Page 3

Otter Surveying in Greece

My name is Anna and I have recently joined the DWT as a volunteer in the conservation team. In my time here I will be carrying out, together with other things, a survey on otters in the area of Christchurch Harbour.

The first time I got involved in otter surveying was during my second year of my degree while I was doing my placement at the protected area of lake Kerkini in Greece. The information centre where I was based was in collaboration with WWF-Greece and the otter survey that I was involved in was carried out on behalf of WWF. There had been past records of otters at lake Kerkini and, therefore, the purpose of that particular survey was to identify whether there was still an otter population in the area or not.

The survey was carried out at the wetland of lake Kerkini and, more specifically, the sites that were surveyed were at the periphery of the lake and along the bank of the river Struma that runs through the lake. Here I think it would be useful to give you a brief history and description of the protected wetland so that you can form a picture where the survey took place.

Lake Kerkini is situated at the north part of Greece near the border with Bulgaria. It is an artificial lake that was formed when the dam was built in 1932 across the river Struma near the village of Lithotopos. Before the construction of the dam the area was covered with another form of wetland characterised by marshes, numerous small lakes and rich biodiversity. The construction of the dam had a major impact on the existing ecosystem, however, lake Kerkini has evolved into one of the most important wetlands of Greece with an international significance.

The river Struma enters the lake from the north and exits from the south-east where the dam is. The uneven flow of the Struma and the fact that the water of the lake is used for irrigation in the summer causes the water level of the lake to fluctuate with considerable differences between the spring autumn. The climate of the area is characterised by hot and dry summers whereas the winters are cold and wet. The topography of the area surrounding the lake is rather smooth and due to human intervention (i.e. agriculture) there isn’t a great diversity of plant species.

Another volunteer and I started the survey on our own to be joined by people with more experience later. As we didn’t have any experience ourselves on otter surveying we were given basic training and information as well as maps and recording cards.