**3. The emergence of new risk situations in DNP**

242 Sustainable Forest Management – Case Studies

Despite the fact that fire has been recognized as a source of landscape heterogeneity in DNP and has contributed substantially in shaping the nesting habitat of the black vulture1 (Poirazidis et al., 2004), wildfires are acknowledged among the major threats of the park (Catsadorakis et al., 2010). Quite paradoxically, it is the 'wild', unexpected, and uncontrollable character of such a fire that is particularly alarming, causing anxiety among local residents and protected area managers in a national park. Although fire has long been considered as a natural phenomenon that determined evolutionary traits of plant species in Mediterranean ecosystems (Arianoutsou et al., 2011; Robbins, 2004), it cannot be allowed to 'return' to DNP. However, fire suppression is not a risk-neutral solution itself, since it is expected to increase surface fuel load and, thereby, foster the ignition of a wildfire (Chuvieco et al., 2010; Piñol et al., 2007; Sletto, 2010, 2011). Fortunately, DNP has not experienced any devastating event, such as the fires in Greece during the summer of 2007. The last incident of fire that has been recorded in DNP dates back to September 2008, when there were three fires ignited by lightning within one day. These fires destroyed about 60 hectares of mixed forest (i.e., pine and oak) and were put out quickly due to the immediate intervention of the Fire Service supported by local

Ecotourism development in DNP served initially an instrumental purpose in countering negative attitudes of local people towards the environmental management regime established after the designation of the protected area and creating support for nature conservation (Liarikos, 2005; Svoronou & Holden, 2005). Gradually, DNP has succeeded in becoming an exemplary case for ecotourism development in Greece (Hovardas & Korfiatis, 2008; Hovardas & Poirazidis, 2006). Recent trends show that annual visitor numbers tend to stabilize around 40000 visitors following a slight decrease after 2003 (Liarikos, 2010). Despite these numbers, the majority of visitors display soft ecotourism-type characteristics, namely, short duration of stay, relatively large visitor group size, and trip organization by travel agents (Hovardas & Poirazidis, 2006), which results in little income generated for local residents (Catsadorakis et al., 2010). Protected area managers urged for the revision of the ecotourism development strategy and an improvement of the ecotourism product so that high-value visitors are attracted and uncertainty among local entrepreneurs is relaxed

High levels of overall visitor satisfaction have been recorded in Dadia (Arabatzis & Grigoroudis, 2010; Hovardas & Poirazidis, 2006). However, a satisfactory general impression from the visit can coexist with identification of problems signaling a possibility of being close to reach natural or social carrying capacities (Machairas & Hovardas, 2005). In an evaluation of ecotourism in Dadia (Hovardas & Poirazidis, 2006), watching birds at the Bird Observatory revealed relatively low levels of visitor satisfaction, which was attributed to visitors' frustration when they are not fortunate in watching vultures. There is a pressing need to diversify activities offered to visitors in DNP and reduce the dependence of the visit on the Bird Observatory Post, which will also assist considerably in avoiding any possible disturbance of vultures (Liarikos, 2005). Indeed, the primary concern voiced over

1 The optimal nesting habitat of the black vulture in Dadia includes mature trees located in steep slopes, which are surrounded by openings or with low height vegetation. Fire was a crucial component in the

formation of black vulture's nesting habitat (Poirazidis et al., 2004).

people and members of WWF Greece.

**2.2 Ecotourism development in DNP** 

(Catsadorakis et al., 2010).
