The islet of Nisiopi, in the western part of Lesvos, is an area of particularly high environmental and educational value and a particularly important part of the Petrified Forest of Lesvos.
The Marine Park of the Petrified Forest of Nissiopis is the first marine park of fossils that has been created in the Greek area and visiting it is a unique experience. Visitors to the park can tour both the land part of the island where walking routes have been created and the sea area around the Island with a special boat that has a glass bottom for observing the seabed. Organized visits take place daily in the summer season, from the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest.
In the two sections of the Nisiopi Park, extremely important plant fossils, remains of the plants that lived in western Lesvos millions of years ago, have been discovered by the research work of the Museum of Natural History of the Lesvos Petrified Forest.
In the land part of the Nisiopi Park, 44 impressive fossiliferous sites have been identified, containing fossilized trunks of fruit-bearing and coniferous trees, standing in their natural position or lying down, carried away by flows of volcanic materials.
Among the findings of the excavation works, the impressive giant tree trunk of the sequoia family that was uncovered in its natural position and preserved in a total length of 17.20m stands out. and diameter at the base of 1.70 m. Of great interest is the presence of fossiliferous sites with the appearance of fossilized trunks in different horizons.
The observation of the volcanic and tectonic as well as the coastal landforms that appear in the coastal zone of Nisiopi, as a result of the coastal erosion of the rocks of the area, are impressive.
Dozens of faults that appear on the surface and on the steep coasts of the island bear witness to the intense rift tectonic activity experienced by the area during the recent geological past and are indicative of the recent isolation of the island from the rest of Lesvos.
A rich flora and fauna including 62 species of birds, 3 species of mammals, 3 species of reptiles, insects from about ten different orders and 37 families, spiders from 8 families and other invertebrates has been recorded in Nissiopis Park. Among the animals, it is worth noting the presence of birds such as the Black-headed Duck, the Brown Duck, the Petrotrilid, the Lesser kestrel, as well as a large colony of common gulls (Herring Gulls).
The benthic flora and fauna are also rich, characterized by the dominance of Poseidonia meadows, but also the presence of important types of bio-communities such as the coralline and the “forests” of Cystoseira alga.
Shuttles to the Nisiopi Marine Park also run daily at 12 p.m.