The Evros Delta is one of Europe's most significant ecosystems, recognized as an international wetland under the Ramsar Convention (1971). It is a protected area and a sanctuary for rare and endangered species. Covering a total area of 111.937 square kilometres, the Delta was formed by sediment deposits and the interaction of the Evros River’s freshwater flow with sea currents. Additionally, small islets (Asani, Xera Asani, Karaviou Xiradi), dunes, lagoons (Drana, Laki, Monolimni, Paloukia), freshwater lakes (Nymphae, Tsekouri, Skepi, Spitia, Gynaika), marshes, and saltwater and brackish wetlands were created at the river's dual outlets into the Thracian Sea.
The Delta's favourable geographic position along bird migration routes, its relatively mild climate, and its remote, human-inaccessible areas provide ideal conditions for the establishment of numerous animal species. The Delta hosts 46 fish species, 7 amphibian species, 21 reptile species, and over 40 mammal species. However, its avian fauna is the most significant, with 316 bird species observed out of the 422 species found in Greece. The ecosystem serves as a natural habitat for nesting and feeding, supporting species such as herons, flamingos, cormorants, gulls, swans, lesser white-fronted geese, red-breasted geese, and birds of prey. It also serves as a refuge for large populations of waterbirds migrating from northern Central and Eastern Europe during winter and as a vital resting and gathering area for many migratory birds on their way to southern regions.
Bird populations in the area fluctuate between 30,000 and 150,000 individuals, although in recent years, they have not exceeded 50,000 to 60,000. Regarding its flora, the Delta features all typical formations and vegetation types (approximately 350 plant species) found in Mediterranean deltas. The north-eastern part of the Delta, known as the 'floodplain zone,' is covered by dense shrub clusters with tamarisks, while along the riverbanks, a thick forest of poplars, willows, alders, elms, and climbing plants thrives. Further south, the landscape transitions into dense reed beds around Lake Nymphon and other freshwater lakes. The riparian forests are of particular ecological value, playing a vital role in regulating water resources and managing soils.
In the brackish waters of the lagoons, freshwater canals, and all aquatic basins along the Evros River, the most important vegetation of the wetland develops, categorized into three groups: vegetation consisting of fully submerged aquatic plants, vegetation comprising rooted or non-rooted species (with floating leaves or flowers on the water surface, typically in shallower areas like water lilies and water chestnuts), and vegetation dominated by reed bed communities, consisting primarily of semi-submerged species such as common reeds and bulrushes.
The latter is of utmost importance for the area's birdlife. Threats to the wetland include increased salinity levels, uncontrolled and illegal hunting, overgrazing, land drainage, and reed bed burning
