Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park | |
Alt Name: | Εθνικό Πάρκο Δάσους Δαδιάς-Λευκίμης-Σουφλίου |
Iucn Category: | VI |
Location: | Evros, Greece |
Nearest Town: | Soufli (Dadia, Lefkimmi [el]) |
Coords: | 41.13°N 26.22°W |
Area: | 428km2[1] |
Established: | 2006 |
Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park (Greek: Εθνικό Πάρκο Δάσους Δαδιάς-Λευκίμης-Σουφλίου) is a national park in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Local surveys have recorded at least 60 species of mammal, 12 of amphibian, 29 of reptile, and 104 of butterfly, alongside 360–400 plant species; birds include the Black vulture, Egyptian vulture, and Griffon vulture.[1] [2]
After initial protection in 1980, in 2006 the national park was established, protecting an area of some 428km2.[3] In 2014, the National Park of Dadia - Lefkimi - Souflion was submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, under criterion x; currently, the submission resides on the Tentative List.[4]
The major wildfire of August 2023 burned around 73.000 hectares (730 square kilometers) near Alexandroupolis, mostly in the Dadia Forest, leaving 18 people dead. This fire was stated to be "the largest recorded in the EU" up to this time by EU officials.[5] [6]