National treasure
Greece has an extremely rich and distinct flora (more than 5,700 species), corresponding to 45-50 percent of all European and 80 percent of Balkan flora. About 764 taxa (species and sub-species) are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as being rare, vulnerable or threatened endemic species. The rarest are mostly found on mountains and islands. Greece has, considering its size, the highest percentage of endemic plants in Europe and the Mediterranean. «These plants found exclusively in Greece are a treasures of international importance, whose conservation will benefit future generations, not only in Greece, but throughout the world.» As they are so rare, many of Greece’s endemic species are at risk of extinction because of human activities.
