REPTILES

Another struggle between humans and water is the fight against erosion. On sloping land, people formed terraces using the drystone walls technique. These drystones walls are very similar to natural rocks and areas of cobbles in dry landscapes, as the stones were not bonded together and had gaps between them. Lizards bask on them, thermoregulating, and hide in their holes when they perceive an enemy. It is possible to assume that such constructions have favoured certain species of lizards, and perhaps some species of snakes, which also hide in the drystone walls. These structures make it difficult for tortoises, which cannot pass through certain points. In general, it can be said that terraces, apart from holding the soil and improving the aesthetics of the landscape, considerably increase biodiversity and the populations of predators of insects and rodents that can cause damage to crops.

When humans managed to find a balance with the recolonisation dynamics of natural vegetation, the result is hedgerows and uncultivated areas between fields, where shrubs and trees grow in rows or clumps. These uncultivated parts are left either to protect the adjacent crop or simply because they are found on difficult terrain. In warm climates this is where reptiles will find the space to escape the high temperatures in summer. They may also find winter shelter, deep in roots and stones, where they will hibernate. These thickets are of great value, perhaps higher than narrow linear hedgerows, where there is not enough space that can provide adequate security for some species.

The picture we usually have of rural areas is of extensive flat arable land separated by rows of trees and shrubs. In mountain areas, however, small areas of relatively flat land, with or without terraces and hedges, are flanked by rangelands. If there is no overgrazing and the tops of the trees or shrubs have an cushion-like shape, meaning they cover the ground with branches, conditions are excellent for reptiles and many small mammals (Catsadorakis and Bousbouras 2010). The diversity in landscape structure with open and closed microenvironments leads to an increase in the number of species, as there is sufficient shelter and adequate foraging areas. These environments are also responsible for the large tortoise populations in some areas, as these reptiles have a place to hide and sunny slopes without woody vegetation to lay their eggs.