Gavdopoula

Gavdopoula (Greek Γαυδοπούλα ( f sg ), " Gavdos ' daughter ' ) is a small, now uninhabited Greek island south of Crete.

Location

Gavdopoula is located about 30 kilometers south of the Cretan port of Chora Sfakia in the Libyan Sea and about 7.5 kilometers northwest of Gavdos. Gavdopoula is 3 km long, up to a kilometer wide and has an area of ​​almost 1.8 square kilometers. The rather flat island reaches a height of 113 meters.

Importance

Gavdopoula is neither historically nor touristy of great importance. At the southern end remains of a Minoan settlement have been found. The island is used as grazing land for sheep and goats.

In 1998, the small island still moved into the public eye when a plan was made public, the island into a giant container terminal expanding ( the after planning by far the largest in Europe). For this purpose, the entire island should be removed and leveled up to a height of about 5 meters. The worn stone and earth masses should be used for the construction of embankments outside the harbor. This construction would have not only the island, but also the surrounding areas of shallow water completely destroyed. The island of Gavdos should be built with workers' settlements and would have lost its present appearance. The execution of the plan was prevented, among other things by the protests of many conservationists. There are now plans to instead build the container port on the coast of Messara in Tymbaki.

Flora, Vegetation and conservation

The island consists of limestones of Pindos Ethia zone. From Gavdopoula 186 vascular plants and 13 mosses are known. The geographical location of Gavdopoula on the edge of Europe and in the neighborhood of North Africa dominates the floristic character of the island. A plant species Atriplex mollis comes in Europe only on Gavdos, but is widely used in North Africa. More occurring on the island species distribution area in North Africa are longanum Allium, Asparagus horridus, Castellia tuberculosa, Chlamydophora tridentata, Erodium neuradifolium, Frankenia corymbosa and Periploca angustifolia. Of the endemic plants of Crete come Bellevalia brevipedicellata, Crepis cretica, Crepis tybakiensis, Muscari spreitzenhoferi, ononis verae and Teucrium alpestre ago on Gavdopoula. The moss Entosthodon commutatus was on Gavdopoula 1500 km away from its previously known distribution area in Algeria, Morocco, in the Iberian Peninsula and found new on the Atlantic islands.

The vegetation of the island is not very diverse. In the benthos surrounded seagrass Posidonia oceanica with the island. The coasts of Gavdopoula be settled by rock coastal vegetation, halo - nitrophytischen bushes with Atriplex mollis. In Germany, a mosaic of Pistacia lentiscus - bushes, two dependent on the geological base Phrygana types and seasonal pastures covered with terra rossa Winterannuellen on the slopes.

Cory's shearwaters and Mittelmeermöwe breed on Gavdopoula. The surrounding waters offer some endangered species such as the monk seal (Monachus monachus) habitat.

Gavdopoula is part of the " Natura 2000 " area

• GR 4340013, Gavdos and Gavdopoula ( Νήσοι Γαύδος και Γαυδοπούλα ). and classified as an Important Bird Area.