Sailing among the islands of the Southern Aegean, one island in particular captures a traveler’s attention, even from a distance, with its more or less geometrical shape – like that of a truncated cone, with the absence of the steep cliffs
which usually mark the shores of these islands, and with its rich vegetation. Without the usual indented beaches and bays, which are abundant on other islands, a cone rising from the surface of the sea to a height of 700 metres is the striking characteristic of Nisyros, the youngest of the Aegean’s major volcanoes.
The volcano is not of course limited to the popular Stefanos crater standing in the centre of the island and which is seen each day by hundreds of visitors from Kos. The whole of Nisyros is one huge volcanic centre. There is not a rock on the island which does not owe its existence to volcanic activity, not a single one of the hundreds of layers of rock forming the island was not deposited there by volcanic eruption.
The enormous variety of rock formations that make up the island, the extensive and easily accessible natural sections of exposed rock, and the superb climate throughout the year make Nisyros an open-air geological museum. One of the best places in the world to admire and study, to learn and teach about the most dynamic forces at work on our planet. A paradise, not only for the volcanologist, but for any visitor who loves and respects the natural world and strives to learn about their own ephemeral moment of existence from its eternal wisdom.
What makes Nisyros such an ideal place for a creative relationship between man and nature is not only its geological character. The structure and composition of the island were the foundations on which an amazing variety of plant and animal life has evolved. It is the only active volcano in the Aegean with such a profusion of high and low vegetation, and harboring a rich variety of fauna – from lizards to birds of prey. Even from dry land the crystal-clear blue waters offer a splendid underwater display, emphasizing the continuity and equilibrium between sea and earth. It is easy to see why this little island has been a significant place of settlement going as far back as the prehistoric period of mankind, for it is linked with myths and deeds of antiquity, preserving monuments and memories of civilization.
The growth in tourism, which came late and is still only advancing slowly, allows the balance between man and nature to be preserved, offering the opportunity, which is also a challenge, to let this coexistence continue undisturbed.
Current situation in Nisyros
Nisyros belongs to the so-called infertile route’ of the Aegean; the term refers to islands of low development level and irregular connections to other islands and continental Greece. It is devoid of an airport; its small port cannot adequately ensure the safe transport of passengers and goods in case of adverse weather conditions. The current standard of living on the island is higher that other similar islands, mainly due to the operation of the pumice quarry on Yali, 5 km NW of Nisyros. The production of the quarry is approximately 900,000 tons of top quality pumice stone, providing employment to 80 families and an approximate income of 1.5 m Euro to the municipality of the island. The second source of income is tourism. The island has approximately 700 beds and may accommodate approximately 4,000 visitors per year for stays of several days. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Nisyros visitors stay for a mere few hours (approximately 60,000 people / yr). They arrive from neighboring Kos, tour to the center of the caldera to admire the intense hydrothermal activity and then return to Kos after a short trip to Mandraki, the island’s capital, to admire the excellent architectural quality of its old buildings. The volcano can bring visitors in, however it cannot assure their stay. Nowadays, agricultural production is almost nil, whereas cattle breeding (i.e. meat, cheese, honey) and fishing products are abundant. The island’s energy requirements are 500 MW per year; power comes in through underwater cables from Kos; it is produced there from fossil fuels (diesel).
Annual water requirements amount to 100,000 cu. m. Most of the water was once transferred from continental Greece. Nowadays the island operates a seawater desalination plant (using the reverse osmosis method) with a daily capacity of 340 cu.m. Regular operation could cater for all water requirements of the island. The lack of quarrying and industrial activities on the island and ‘moderate’ tourist development permitted the preservation of natural balance in Nisyros. The only – albeit serious – problem is uncontrolled cattle breeding activities. Free-grazing goat and pig populations increase and thus endanger the rich flora (and consequently the wild fauna) of the island. Serious efforts have been made during the last years to restrict free-bred animals; this has yielded some positive results.
Nisyros currently faces a turning point, ready to chart a course of future development. Aggressive tourism development is basically precluded for two reasons. The first is objective, and refers to its geographical location. Located between two over-developed tourism sites (Kos and Rhodes) and given its size and infrastructure as well as its development potential (lack of airport, restricted port support etc), it is not feasible to assure mass tourism. The second reason is that such a development would be a crime against the environmental equilibrium that has been preserved so far, a fact that would deprive the island of all its current visitors that have chosen it precisely for this characteristic.
Nisyros can afford and must promptly proceed with a high quality tourism development plan mainly by attracting alternative tourism (of nature-loving, geological, archaeological and medicinal type). Furthermore, actions must be initiated to reinvigorate farming, both in its traditional form as well as through modern production methods (greenhouses, for instance) to prevent unilateral economic development and to support high quality tourism. It is also important to institutionalize incentives for cattle breeders and to enforce repressive measures in order to radically eliminate the damage caused by uncontrolled goat and pig grazing. Utilization of renewable energy sources is an unavoidable prospect for Nisyros, as there is plenty of sun, winependence, low-cost energy and abundant, economic supply of potable water to the island through desalination.ependence, low-cost energy and abundant, economic supply of potable water to the island through desalination.
