Voreioanatoliko Akro Kritis: Dionysades, Elasa Kai Chersonisos Sidero (Akra Mavro Mouri - Vai - Akra Plakas) Kai Thalassia Zoni
Voreioanatoliko Akro Kritis: Dionysades, Elasa Kai Chersonisos Sidero (Akra Mavro Mouri - Vai - Akra Plakas) Kai Thalassia Zoni (GR4320006) is a Site of Community Importance (SCI) in the Natura 2000 network, 39,416 hectares (394 km²), with a marine part. It lies in the municipality of Sitia (regional unit Lasithi, Crete). It is on the island of Crete. According to the European Environment Agency's database (2024 release) it protects 22 habitat types of Annex I and 4 species (mammals 1, plants 3).
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.
| Code | Habitat type (as the EEA gives it) | Cover (ha) | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5420 | Sarcopoterium spinosum phryganas | 5,397 | – |
| 1170 | Reefs | 2,818 | – |
| 1240 | Vegetated sea cliffs of the Mediterranean coasts with endemic Limonium spp. | 365 | – |
| 1120 | Posidonia beds (Posidonion oceanicae) | 142 | Priority |
| 5210 | Arborescent matorral with Juniperus spp. | 136 | – |
| 9320 | Olea and Ceratonia forests | 65 | – |
| 6220 | Pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea | 40 | Priority |
| 9370 | Palm groves of Phoenix | 19 | Priority |
| 5330 | Thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert scrub | 12 | – |
| 1420 | Mediterranean and thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetea fruticosi) | 5 | – |
| 1150 | Coastal lagoons | 2 | Priority |
| 2230 | Malcolmietalia dune grasslands | 1 | – |
| 1410 | Mediterranean salt meadows (Juncetalia maritimi) | 1 | – |
| 2110 | Embryonic shifting dunes | 1 | – |
| 92D0 | Southern riparian galleries and thickets (Nerio-Tamaricetea and Securinegion tinctoriae) | 1 | – |
| 1430 | Halo-nitrophilous scrubs (Pegano-Salsoletea) | 1 | – |
| 1310 | Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand | 1 | – |
| 7210 | Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae | 0 | Priority |
| 8210 | Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation | 0 | – |
| 1110 | Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time | – | – |
| 3290 | Intermittently flowing Mediterranean rivers of the Paspalo-Agrostidion | – | – |
| 8330 | Submerged or partially submerged sea caves | – | – |
Mammals (1)
Plants (3)
Designation
It is protected for the habitat types and species of Annexes I and II of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a Site of Community Importance; member states designate such sites as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).
| Code | Type | Area | Designated (EEA) | Name in the EEA register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GR4320006 | Site of Community Importance (SCI) | 39,416 ha | Aug. 1996 | VOREIOANATOLIKO AKRO KRITIS: DIONYSADES, ELASA KAI CHERSONISOS SIDERO (AKRA MAVRO MOURI – VAI – AKRA PLAKAS) KAI THALASSIA ZONI |
Legal basis: Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The register name is the one the EEA publishes.
Places inside and beside the site
Settlements, official bathing-water sites and sights with a page of their own whose point lies inside the boundary or up to 3 km outside it. Inside: 10. Up to 12 per kind are shown, best known first.
Towns and villages: inside the boundary (3)
- Palaikastrovillage
- Agathiasettlement
- Chionasettlement
Beaches: inside the boundary (3)
Beaches: within 3 km outside the boundary
- Analoukas0 km
Sights: inside the boundary (4)
- HMS HerewardArchaeological site
- ItanosArchaeological site
- Toplou MonasteryMonastery
- PetsofasArchaeological site
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
- Creteisland
- Municipality of Sitiamunicipality
- Lasithiregional unit
- Creteregion
- All Natura 2000 siteslist
- Sights of Greecelist
- Islands of Greecelist
- Regions of Greecelist
- Voreioanatoliko Akro KritisSPA, 3 km
- Dionysades NisoiSPA, 10 km
- Ori ZakrouSPA, 24 km
- Moni Kapsa (Farangi Kapsa Kai Gyro Periochi)SCI, 32 km
- Nisos Koufonisi, Gyro Nisides Kai Nisides KavalloiSPA, 39 km
- Nisos Koufonisi Kai Paraktia Thalassia ZoniSCI, 40 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:
- Designated bathing waters (locations)Ministry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current bathing season register · Date:
- Wikidata sights: descriptions, Wikipedia articles and heritage designationsWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 8 October 2026 · 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 .