Arkoi
Arki (Greek Αρκοί ) or Arkii (Greek Αρκιοί ( m. pl. ) ) Is a small Greek Dodecanese island and also the main island of the archipelago of the same name, by the municipality of Patmos within the region South Aegean ( Περιφέρεια Νότιου Αιγαίου ) is managed.
- 2.1 Arki today
- 4.1 Flora
- 4.2 Fauna
- 4.3 Conservation
- 4.4 PARC project
Location
The only 114 m high island located in the eastern Aegean Sea and has an area of 6.697 km ². Lipsi is located about 5 km south, Patmos about 16 km west, 27 km north of Samos and the Turkish mainland 38 km east. The coastline is very rugged, on the west side of the small fishing port and marina is Avgusta ( Αυγούστα ) just south lies the double- bay Steno ( Στενό ) and Glipapas ( Γλίπαπας ). The small rocky islands Tiganakia ( Τηγανάκια, pans ') are upstream in the south. Southwest also is a group of smaller islands of which Marathos is the only inhabited in about 600 m away. Between the islands, the sea depth is not more than 60 m.
The individual islands
Source: Information from the island, except Arki and Spalathronisi
History
Neolithic pottery was found in Tiganaki in the south. The first inhabitants were Carians followed by Dorians. Later Ionians from Miletus used the island as a stop between Samos and Kos. From this time, the predecessor of a small fortified Kastro dates. In the following years this system has probably been extended twice. The north- west tower dates from the 4th century BC After his capture on Farmakonisi Julius Caesar was destroying the castle. In the early Byzantine period, Kastro was rebuilt.
Along with several small islands came Arki in May 1087 by a donation of the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos in the possession of the monk Christodoulos and thus later in possession of the monastery of Patmos. In the following centuries, the island served the monastery as pasture.
Arki today
Greek authorities said Arki 2011 for a population of 44 inhabitants. The vast majority live around the fishing port and marina of the island.
In addition to the income from the goats and sheep farming fishing is the main income. Additional income in the summer consist of private accommodation for individual travelers as well as the operation of the three taverns, which are visited by excursionists from Lipsi and Patmos. A Periptero and a mini - market offer a very small range of goods. Although an installed already in the late 1980s, 25 - kW photovoltaic system is operational, the power supply is currently with diesel generators. The drinking water comes with the tanker from Rhodes.
On Arki there is neither a doctor nor a priest, but a small school with two school children in 2007 and four in 2009. Teachers However Arki leave again prematurely, as well as other small islands, which means a weeks, sometimes months of teaching failure.
Traffic
Arki has a ferry port, about 600 meters outside of the only settlement, as well as a fishing port and marina. Approximately 2.5 km of the already small road network are paved.
In the summer of Arki is several times a week reachable by ferry via Samos or Kos. In addition, the island is approached twice a week by a supply vessel from Patmos, as well as irregular excursion boats from the neighboring islands of Lipsi and Patmos.
Nature
The island is composed of limestone from the Oligocene. The vegetation of Arki and the surrounding small islands is characterized by drought and grazing and is the thermo Mediterranean height zone. According to the traditional management of the plots are divided into two and are in one-to two-year grazing changes. Phrygana stocks with thorn - saxifrage ( Sarcopoterium spinosum ), head - thyme ( Coridothymus capitatus ), Dornbusch spurge (Euphorbia acanthothamnos ) Kleinblütiger Rockrose (Cistus parviflorus ), Daphne gnidioides and head germander ( Teucrium capitatum ) together with solitary bush -shaped mastic ( Pistacia lentiscus ) and wild olive trees widely determine the landscape. Only at a few points close the last two shrubs and the carob tree ( Ceratonia siliqua ) together to denser maquis.
Flora
On Arki and the surrounding islands 340 species of ferns and seed plants have been found on the main island alone 259 This relatively small numbers agree with the small size of the island and the limited habitat diversity. Notable species Aristolochia parvifolia, Dioscorides Arum ( Arum dioscoridis ), Campanula lyrata subsp. lyrata, Galium brevifolium subsp. island, Garidella nigellastrum, Large-fruited grape hyacinth ( Muscari macrocarpum ) and Romulea tempskyana. On the small islands of the composition of the flora has a larger random component as on larger land masses. This provides for low competitive small island specialists possibilities of life. Such species on small islands around Arki are Arenaria aegaea, Allium commutatum and the tree mallow ( Lavatera arborea ).
Fauna
Since Eleonora's falcon go to the islands each year as a breeding area is one of the Greek bird protection organization ( Ελληνική Ορνιθολογική Εταιρεία ), a partner of BirdLife International, Arki and the surrounding islands of the ten most important bird sanctuaries of Greece. More protected birds which visit the islands for breeding Audouin's and Mediterranean shearwaters, year-round live -legged Buzzard and Shag on the islands.
Compared to the nearby mainland of Asia Minor, the Community Reptiles is strongly depleted and is considered as a result of ongoing Aussterbeprozesses. From Arki and the surrounding islands, only the two gecko species Aegean nude finger ( Mediodactylus kotschyi ) and European half- finger ( Hemidactylus turcicus turcicus ) are known. There is an inverse relationship between the frequency of the two types. On islands where Mediodactylus is kotschyi often, Hemidactylus turcicus turcicus is very rare, and vice versa. On the small island Tsouka exists a population of the lizard locust ( Ablepharus kitaibelii ).
Conservation
Because of the peculiarities of flora and fauna Arki Agathonisi kai Vrachonisides ( Αρκοί - Λειψοί - Αγαθονήσι & Βραχονησίδες ), together with the islands of Lipsi and Agathonisi and the adjacent sea area in the Natura 2000 network of the European Union as GR 4.21001 million Arkoi, Leipsoi, integrated and parts of it at the same time as the European bird sanctuary GR 4210017 West Arki & Islands ( Βορειοδυτικό τμήμα Αρκιών & Νησίδες ) or as an IBA ( " Important Bird Area " ) zone GR 160 Islets of North Dodekanisa ( Νησίδες και βραχονησίδες Βορείων Δωδεκανήσων ) classified.
PARC project
In the Aegean, some of the most important seagrass meadows stocks ( Posidonia oceanica ) exist in the Mediterranean. Since conservation of this rare habitat of high ecological value and to date there is no efficient method of inventory monitoring is available, the PARC ( Park Advanced Remote Cognition ) Service Project ( PARC Υπηρεσία Αρχιπέλαγος ) was started. Target is an efficient method for monitoring the seagrass meadows on a large scale for the entire Mediterranean. Arki was selected for the pilot phase of the surveillance as a study area, the application is done using satellite imagery of the European Space Agency ESA and a Web GIS.