The steep slopes of Mount Kochylas, a Natura 2000 site located on the island of Skyros, are rich in biodiversity. The bountiful region has made its way to the 24 finalists for this year’s Natura 2000 Award 2016 with voting now open for nature-lovers to show their appreciation for the region until May 8.

Natura 2000 hopes, in this way, to promote the best practices for nature conservation and ensure the long-term survival of Europe’s endangered species and habitats.

Mount Kochylas was selected thanks to its number of endemic plants, with clusters of maples (Acer sempervirens) found nestled in the mountain’s numerous ravines. The area is home to the world’s largest colony of Eleonora’s falcons that nest on the rocky cliffs along the beautiful coastline. Rich pastures also support passerine birds, the native lizard of Skyros and – of course – the small-bodied Skyros pony, one of the rarest horse breeds in the world.

The organizers of the award praise Skyros for not following the heavy tourism development of other Aegean islands in the last 30 years and the local government’s efforts to establish an eco-friendly model of tourism.

“Using EU LIFE+ funding, biodiversity-oriented tourism activities like ecotourism, birdwatching tourism and others have been organized, establishing Mountain Kochylas as a well-designed, attractive ecotourism destination. A cleverly designed and attractive trail network of 38 km covering the entire area of the Natura 2000 site has been created and offers birdwatching routes, routes focused on plants, as well as easily accessible sites with species-to-see information posts. This has been combined with concrete conservation actions and a number of original communication initiatives to raise public awareness,” states the Natura 2000 site that calls on visitors to vote for this region.

The finalist receiving the most votes will be presented with the coveted European Natura 2000 Citizens’ Award.

Those interested can visit the EU Natura 2000 Award website to cast their votes.