Prepared by Chkanikova Olga
After spending the whole month at Lesvos the only last destination to visit was Sigri. Have heard about this tiny fishery village in the western coast-line of the island well-known for its picturesque sceneries I cannot even expect that after 3 hours way from Mytilini to Sigri I will get in the Fairyland of wonderfully colorful sunsets, crystal-clear water, beautiful views of the natural harbor where the village located, ancient buildings keeping in their memories thrilling historical events associated with this place and unique natural monument of the petrified forest preserving the remnants of the previous epoch dating back to 20 million years ago. Such unique combination of many interesting features in one place makes Sigri the attractive destination for great variety of tourists either searching for the place with conciliative atmosphere to relax from the noisy every day routine of big cities or those who are fond of exploring new places with interesting history and monuments to learn about.
The natural beauty of this place is magnificent. The hilly terrain with small pretty white houses with red roofs gradually descends to the sky-blue sea. The indented shoreline increases the aesthetical value of the marine scenery. Here, standing under the rays of caressing sun, feeling the soft wafts of fresh salty wind and hearing the rhythmical lapping of the waves someone start to feel oneself free from everyday worries, full of positive emotions and energy, and so close to nature. The sunset is another thing to mention. Starting with rich colors of yellow and orange it is replaced with soft tints of rose and purple when the sun has already disappeared from the scene. The view is really charming. No wonder this place is worth visiting to enjoy nature and obtain peace of mind.
The place is also interesting from the historical perspective. The earlier settlements appeared here dated back to the first millennium AD but were demolished by Saracens and later Turks invasions. The recent history of the village started in the middle of the 18th century with establishment of the present castle by Turks who had considered the natural harbor of the village the best strategic place for the fortress location. The remnants of the castle as well as the church of Agia Triada which was built in the period of Turkish occupation in 1870 and originally was the mosque are located in the center of the village and constitute the archeological, cultural and architectural heritage of the that times. Moreover, located in the surroundings Ypsilou and Perivoli Monastries (14km far) as well as Zoodochos Pigi church in the rocks at Faneromeni beach (3km far) are also very attractive sights for tourist visits (Lawrance 2001).
The petrified forest is another unique place in the surroundings of Sigri. It covers an area of 150,000 acres (Lawrance 2001) with the similar specimens of petrified trunks existing only in Arizona and Utah. Due to intensive volcanic eruptions in the region around 20 million years ago the pyroclastic materials covered existed vegetation and protected it from the external conditions while the presence of the silica rich fluids favored the process of petrification and led to the replacement of organic material into inorganic. Due to soil erosion in the recent times the hidden trees with root systems, branches, leaves and fruits appeared to be on the surface presenting the perfectly conserved data about flora and climate in the Aegean region 20 million years ago. The most impressive fact that increases the scientific value of the forest is that an entire ecosystem has been remained intact in their natural location. The biggest tree trunks rich up to 20 meters in height and about 3 meters in diameter. (Zouros et al. 2000) The paleontological, geological and environmental uniqueness of the forest makes it an attractive destination for tourists.
Thus, according to the peculiar combinations of before mentioned natural and historical characteristics Sigri has a good potential for the development of tourism. However taking into account the small scale and therefore limiting carrying capacity of the village and the fragility of the petrified forest area and present ecosystems the tourist activities should be developed in the sustainable way to protect, preserve and promote this unique place of our planet.
The priority for development in the region should be given for creation of protected area of petrified forest designated for sustainable tourism. Bringing financial support to the locals it will at the same time contribute to the further scientific investigations, support environmental education and enhance general image of the village. The first steps has been already done with granting the area with the status of Protected Natural Monument, establishment of the 286 hectares of Geopark for tourist visits and foundation of Natural History Museum in 1994 where the most significant findings are exhibited (Zouros et al. 2000). Still, further development of sustainable strategies and promotion of the place is required to rouse the interest of potential clients to this place. The principal key recommendation for realization of such plans is the adoption of “European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas” (ECSTPA).
The process of Charter certification is the strong management tool for implementation of sustainable tourism practices in protected areas. It becomes possible through the requirements to attain the goals of 5 year sustainable development strategy and fulfillment of corresponding action plan as well as stakeholder forum with participation of gateway communities. The involvement of locals is the crucial point which allows to keep people informed and involved in the project with respect to different cultural aspects. Awarding Geopark with the Charter Certificate will bring worldwide recognition, financial support through EU funding, help to gain new experience through exchanging the information with EUROPARK federation (Bahrami et al. 2008). All of these will allow to achieve the compromise between economic growth in the area and environmental protection.
References
Zouros, N., Kontis, V., Seraidis, P. and Kralis, F. 2000. Guide to the Lesvos Petrified Forest Park. Lesvos: Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest.
Lawrance, R. 2001. Where the roads ends. England: Pinpoint Graphics.
Bahrami, S., Hennig, C., Colon, L. and Kohler A. 2008. European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas. The road map towards certification for the Petrified Forest of Lesvos. Assignment for the course SED, IIIEE Lund, Lund University, Sweden.
