A. Habitats

Mount Syriggas

The area in discussion is located in the northern part of the island. It includes Mount Syriggas and it extends up to the western coasts, from Marmari to Delphini bay. It is the sole place in the island having limestones, in contrast to the rest being covered by volcanic rocks. There are many springs, surrounded by hydrophilous plants, steep rocky coastline, cliffs, caves, screes and small gorges. In the coastal area there are not many extensive sand dunes. In general, the area may be considered as a typical phryganic ecosystem. The significance of the location is attested by many facts, such as that Mount Syriggas is naturally protected, since its abrupt slopes and the lack of roads render difficult the access to it, by the existence of many unexplored caves, and the additional reason that the area as  a whole is very significant due to its bird fauna and mammals (the population of the latter are in excellent condition) thanks to its geomorphology and the presence of many refuges. Furthermore, its flora is rich in common and indigenous species, the latter presenting a particular interest since many are rare species endemic to the Aegean. Its fauna is also rich in local endemic aspondyla (the snail species cernuella  syrensis  syrosina,  deroceras  thersites,  idylabicristata  rothi are endemic to Syros), while its sand dunes are particularly significant for the preservation of the flora. The area may be regarded as a typical phryganic ecosystem (NTUA, 2006).

Northern Syros
Only the northern part of the island is regarded as a significant area, it needs however further study. It is important for its birds, among which there are many migrant predators and perhaps the  hydrobates pelagicus (the European storm petrel) –extremely rare in Greece. It is renowned for its Mediterranean monk seal (monachus  monachus). Appearances have also been reported of the loggerhead (caretta  caretta)  and the leatherback sea turtle (dermochely’s  coriacea). The situation in the area is appraised as positive. Concerning the biotope of Northern Syros there have been some disruptions recorded due to illegal fishing and hunting, road construction and maintenance and the illegal erection of buildings. Even though in Apano Meria there is a refuge for wild animals according to the decision published in the State Gazette (No. 524/Β/25-06-97), the area in its entirety is not included, thus leading to lawful hunting activities taking place in this area (Ministry for  the Environment, Space Planning and Public Works, 2001).

Yaros

A small island dotted with vegetation of sclerophyllous bushes and phrygana. The state of the location is considered to be in degradation. It is an interesting island ecosystem home to an endemic  local  snake subspecies. Concerning the Yaros biotope no direct problem is currently faced due to the deserted state of the island; there has been some complaint though that it has been utilised as a shooting field where depleted uranium missiles have been used. The related impact on the island has not been investigated.

B. Flora

Syros is characterised by phryganic and primary vegetation on rocky surfaces. The main species are the following (listed by order of frequency):
 thyme (corydothymus capitatus), salt cedar (tamarix spp),  Spanish broom (sparium junceum), fig tree (ficus xarica), oleander (nerium oleander), Aleppo pine (pinus halepensis), lentisc (pistacia lentiscus), the East Mediterranean pine (pinus brutia), acacia (robinia spp), eucalyptus (eucalyptus spp), mulberry (murus spp), juniper (junipeus phoenicea), oak (quercus coccifera), willow (vitex agnus-cactus), carob (ceratonia siliqua), heath (erica arborea), prickly broom (calycotone vilosa). There are also a few cultivations of fruit-bearing trees, olive and citrus trees etc. in small extents primarily for personal use of the inhabitants owning them.

C. Fauna

The fauna of the region comprises mainly typical reptiles, insects, and birds of the Greek countryside. In particular:
 
Mammals: the Mediterranean monk seal (monachus monachus), the common dolphin (delphinus delphis), the Eastern European hedgehog (erinaceus concolor), the common or brown hare (lepus capensis), the greater horseshoe rat (rhinolophus ferrumequinum), the black rat (rattus rattus), the common house mouse (mus muscullus) etc.

Birds: In the area and particularly in the northern part of the island the following birds are reproduced: Cory’s shearwater (calonectris diomedea), the European roller (Coracias garrulous), Eleonora’s falcon (falco eleonorae), Bonelli’s eagle (hieraaetus fasciatus), the European storm petrel (hydrobates pelagicus), Audouin’s gull (larus audouinii), the European shag (phalacrocorax Aristotelis desmarestii), the red-billed chough (pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Rüpper’s warbler (Sylvia rueppelli). Besides the above-mentioned there are several other birds which have been traced and recorded in Syros such as the kingfisher, the golden eagle, the peregrine falcon, the white-tailed eagle, the black kite, the osprey, the little tern etc.

Amphibia-Reptiles: Many of the amphibia and reptiles are included in lists of endangered species. The most frequent we come across in the broader area of the island are the following:
the long-nosed viper (vipera ammodytes, listed as an endangered species in Directive 92/43/EEC 21.5.92), the lizard (lacerta, in the Presidential Decree, 67/81), the loggerhead sea turtle (caretta-caretta), the leopard snake (elaphe situla), the ablepharus (ablepharus kitaibellii – Directive 92/43/EEC 21.5.92, Corine Information System). Aspondyla (endemic): Cernuella syrensis syrosina, Deroceras thersites, Ibylabicristata rothi snails (NTUA, 2006).

     The history of Yaros                                     

During antiquity Yaros was inhabited, it even minted ! had bronze coins (300-200 B.C.) with representations of Artemis (Diana) and Perseus that were inscribed with the word ‘Yarion’ (‘of the Yarians’). It became subject to taxation by the Romans, during whose rule it was used as a place of exile. Stravon who harboured by necessity to it, found there a poor village of fishermen, one of whom followed Stravon as a representative of the others in order to meet Octavian in Corinth (29-28 B.C.) and plead to him for a lowering of taxation. The fishermen there were experts in fishing the purpura. According to the Latin geographers and historians the only vegetation on the island were donkey thistles and the wild pear (pyrus spinosa) a kind of poisonous thistle. As for the animal kingdom, there were many rats which with time drove the inhabitants away entirely. According to Meletios, the island was for some time called ‘Kalogiros’, but its common denomination is ‘Yura’.

This name prevailed to be used among the political exiles and the detainees in the modern years (1936, and 1947-1974). Its use as a place of exile and imprisonment took place primarily in the periods (1947-1952, 1955-1961, 1967-1974). The first construction works in the island started in 1947 and included rock blacsting and shaping the ground, cutting roads, the erection of special prison blocks, storehouses, residencies for the guards, battery boxes etc.. In five bays of the island there were created concentration camps. In the first bay in 1950 there were 5.500 political prisoners, in the second 1.500, in the third 990, in the fourth 2.000 and in the fifth 300 detainees.

During the period 2001-2002, a ministerial decision characterized as preservable the prison buildings, as well as all the buildings, facilities, and constructions located in the five bays of Yaros island, and special conditions and construction restrictions were determined. Furthermore, a special Committee was set up to propose acts of paying tribute to the Fighters of Democracy exiled and imprisoned in Yaros. During 2002 the assignment procedures were completed for the studies on the works elevating the overall space of the military camps, and all the necessary base studies were brought through, such as the topographic – photographic depiction of the space in the camps, with a view to Yaros becoming a visitable place, a place of memory and democratic education, through interventions of human scale which would not annul the memories and would  keep the character of the landscape intact.

The National Technical University of Athens and in particular the late Professor Ms. Anny Vrychea held the responsibility for completing these studies. The studies were assigned and completed concerning the construction of a small port work in the island that would enable the access of small passenger vessels and a cargo boat to the island, in addition to the architectural depiction and the static support studies of the main prison building, all the other buildings and constructions in the camps of Yaros, as well as the creation of a museum. A study was completed in order to construct a network of ‘memory corridors’ throughout the camp area connecting the main prison block with the cemetery running through the five bays and camps and creating on the way landmarks with the most significant memory places, where dedicative stones would define each place. Throughout the main route, the names of the thousands of imprisoned fighters would be inscribed on rocks. The planning of the work and the studies were based on valuable oral and recorded evidence given by the women and men fighters of Yaros. However, today the plan has remained unimplemented.

Many years have passed ever since the then Prime Minister Costas Simitis layed homage  to the fighters for democracy who faced their martyrdom on the island of Yaros. This symbolic visit found no sequel, despite the efforts of the ex Minister of the Aegean to render the place visitable by assigning Professors of the NTUA with the relevant study towards the reformation and elevation of the historic island. The government change and the assumption of the Ministry of the Aegean by Aristotelis Pavlidis was not accompanied by any initiative to upgrade the martyr island. The new minister in the name of the ‘rationalization’ of the expenditure of his portofolio, has reputedly ordered orally that the relevant studies be frozen and be doomed to gather dust in some ministry drawer. In the meantime, Yaros has been until recently in the possession of Syrian stock breeders, according to the repeated complaints of the ‘Yaros- Historical Memory’society.

The prison buildings have been left prey to the passage of time, the prisoner wards are covered with livestock manure grazing on the island undisturbed, the convalescence ward of the 4th bay was transformed into a shelter for the trespassers; the works on neither the construction of the dock nor the resetting the path towards the cemetery have not yet begun, and thus the danger for the bodily integrity of the visitors is now visible. Some months ago, the bishop of Syros Mr. Dorotheos the II informed of the intent of the episcopate to build a cenotaph on Yaros, given that even the cemetery of the political prisoners is under full desertation.

The dictinction and projection of Yaros as a place of historic memory is coming back to the foreground after the initiative of MP’s of all the four parliamentary parties. By 31/01/2007 around 200 signatures of MP’s had been gathered in a petition that the Ministry of Culture but also the co-liable Ministries of the Interior, Public Order, Rural Development and Maritime take immediate action and provide the financial sources necessary for the monuments to be protected by the passage of time, as well as to secure their necessary protection. The MP’s also demand their projection and distinction as places of historic memory, the removal of the livestock in addition to the removal of mines from the soil of Yaros. The MP’s propose the creation of a inter-party parliamentary committee which would study on the whole the problem of all the places of exile and imprisonment on political grounds in Greece, the establishment of a local and a central museum, the opening up of all public and other archives -and that access to their material be permitted to the researchers interested ,- and the cooperation with the surviving ex prisoners and their associations.

Apostolos Hatziparaskevaïdis

copyright fotos:  , L.Xenakis