Nisos Gyaros Kai Thalassia Zoni
Nisos Gyaros Kai Thalassia Zoni (GR4220033) is a Site of Community Importance and Special Protection Area (SCI and SPA) in the Natura 2000 network, 26,037 hectares (260 km²), with a marine part. It lies in the municipality of Syros and Ermoupoli (regional unit Syros, South Aegean). According to the European Environment Agency's database (2024 release) it protects 16 habitat types of Annex I and 8 species (birds).
What it protects
Source: the European Environment Agency's Natura 2000 database, 2024 release, as reported by the member state. Habitat types are shown with their Annex I code and the EEA's English name. Common names of species come from Wikidata where they exist, otherwise the scientific name is shown. Left out: 1 species that the EEA records as non-significant presence.
| Code | Habitat type (as the EEA gives it) | Cover (ha) | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1170 | Reefs | 5,207 | – |
| 1120 | Posidonia beds (Posidonion oceanicae) | 2,604 | Priority |
| 5420 | Sarcopoterium spinosum phryganas | 1,507 | – |
| 1110 | Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time | 260 | – |
| 1160 | Large shallow inlets and bays | 260 | – |
| 8330 | Submerged or partially submerged sea caves | 260 | – |
| 1240 | Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts with endemic Limonium spp. | 113 | – |
| 5330 | Thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert scrub | 74 | – |
| 9320 | Olea and Ceratonia forests | 16 | – |
| 6220 | Pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea | 4 | Priority |
| 1430 | Halo-nitrophilous scrubs (Pegano-Salsoletea) | 1 | – |
| 1410 | Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi) | 0 | – |
| 3140 | Hard oligo-mesotrophic waters with benthic vegetation of Chara spp. | 0 | – |
| 3170 | Mediterranean temporary ponds | – | Priority |
| 5210 | Arborescent matorral with Juniperus spp. | – | – |
| 8210 | Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation | – | – |
Birds (8)
Designation
It is protected both for the habitat types and species of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), as a Site of Community Importance, and for the bird species of the Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), as a Special Protection Area.
| Code | Type | Area | Designated (EEA) | Name in the EEA register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GR4220033 | Site of Community Importance and Special Protection Area (SCI and SPA) | 26,037 ha | March 2010 | NISOS GYAROS KAI THALASSIA ZONI |
Legal basis: Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (2009/147/EC). The register name is the one the EEA publishes.
Works and permits in the site
Works and plans that could significantly affect a Natura 2000 site need an appropriate assessment of their effects under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). In Greece this is the Special Ecological Assessment (Ειδική Οικολογική Αξιολόγηση, ΕΟΑ) under law 4014/2011. The Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ) is responsible for managing Natura 2000 sites, through the protected-area management bodies.
This page is not legal advice and does not say what is allowed on a particular property. Each site's rules are set in the official texts; for a property or a project, ask the competent authority. Natura 2000 at the European Commission.
How the numbers were counted
The boundary is the Ministry's (YPEN geoportal). The code, name, area, date of designation, habitat types and species are from the EEA's Natura 2000 database (2024 release, fetched 8 Oct 2026). Habitat cover is what the member state reports; where the EEA gives an "unknown" value (9999) or one larger than the site, it is not shown. The EEA gives the marine part only as yes or no, not as a share, and we do not use the "quality and importance" text of the data form. The EEA data is licensed CC BY 4.0 (copyright holder: the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment). The Greek and English names of sites and species, and the Wikipedia article titles, are Wikidata's (CC0).
Municipalities come from sample points inside the boundary: one is named when it holds at least 5% of the points that fall on land. For a purely marine site the nearest coastal municipality (within 60 km) is named. The settlements, beaches and sights are those that have a page on this site; municipal boundaries and island outlines are from OpenStreetMap.
Places nearby
Pages of this site, in a straight line and on the same side of the water, nearest first.
No other page of this site lies within reach on the same side of the water.
See also
- Municipality of Syros and Ermoupolimunicipality
- Syrosregional unit
- South Aegeanregion
- All Natura 2000 siteslist
- Sights of Greecelist
- Islands of Greecelist
- Regions of Greecelist
- Syros: Oros Syringas Eos ParaliaSCI, 23 km
- Voreia Syros Kai NisidesSPA, 24 km
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, with the date each was updated.
- Natura 2000 protected sitesMinistry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current national Natura 2000 network · Date:
- Natura 2000 site namesEuropean Environment Agency (EEA) / European Commission Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) · EEA Natura 2000 register, snapshot taken 25 September 2026 (446 Greek sites) · Date:
- Natura 2000: habitat types and species per siteEuropean Environment Agency (EEA) / European Commission Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) · Natura 2000 database, end 2024 release, fetched 8 October 2026 (446 Greek sites) · Date:
- Everyday places, tourism, transport and natureOpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API · Live database at the time of the query · Date:
- Wikidata: Natura 2000 site names and species common namesWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 8 October 2026 · Date:
- Official page of the code in the EEA Natura 2000 register (link only)European Environment Agency
Page updated .