 |
SEPG 2268 - Date Awarded 2004
Cretan olive groves: the influence of cultivation methods on ground floral diversity
Harriet Allen
Abstract
The aim of this project was to examine the impact that different olive cultivation practices have on the nature of the ground flora of olive groves in the Messara and Psiloritis regions of Crete. Olive oil is the main agricultural product of Crete and intensification of olive cultivation has been promoted by subsidies from the European Union; between 1968 and 1998 production increased by more than 600% (Kabourakis, 2001). Because the ground vegetation is cleared beneath olive trees in groves subject to intensive management, these could not be included in the study. However, detailed floristic surveys of 95 quadrats were made at sites representative of traditional olive cultivation and semi-abandoned olive-groves, where the fruit is still collected, but there is little or no management of the trees or ground flora. In addition, non-olive sclerophyllous shrub communities were surveyed for comparison with the semi-abandoned groves.
Full report: SEPG2268
|
Home
