This study explores the historical occurrence of wetland ecosystems in Greece by using recurring Phragmites australis (common reed) burnings as an indicator. Phragmites australis, a plant closely associated with wetlands, provides excellent insights into wetland distribution. We establish a substantial association between reed fires and historical wetland existence in Greece using geographical and statistical analysis, with these fires exhibiting remarkable constancy across time. Using Corine land-cover (CLC) data, we extend our analysis into land-use dynamics, demonstrating that places with the highest reed-bed-fire rates were originally wetlands, particularly those converted into permanent irrigated land and areas with complex agriculture patterns. We find spatial commonalities between reed fires and past wetland existence by analyzing fire occurrence across three main categories: reed fires, agricultural land fires, and grassland fires. Historical records of wetland conversion into agricultural land (or land reclamation works) in locations such as Yianitsa and Kopaida give context to our findings. Visualizations confirm the clustering of reed fires around these converted agricultural regions. In summary, our study offers a unique indicator based on Phragmites australis burnings that can be used to identify previous wetland-type ecosystems, with Mediterranean-wide implications. Despite data constraints, this study adds to the conversation about wetland preservation and sustainable land-use management.

中文翻译：

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利用芦苇床燃烧作为现代希腊湿地转化的指标

本研究以经常性的芦苇燃烧为指标，探讨了希腊湿地生态系统的历史发生情况。芦苇是一种与湿地密切相关的植物，为了解湿地分布提供了极好的见解。我们通过地理和统计分析，在希腊的芦苇火灾和历史湿地存在之间建立了实质性联系，这些火灾在不同时间段内表现出显着的稳定性。利用 Corine 土地覆盖 (CLC) 数据，我们将分析扩展到土地利用动态，证明芦苇床火灾率最高的地方最初是湿地，特别是那些转变为永久灌溉土地和具有复杂农业模式的地区。通过分析芦苇火灾、农田火灾和草原火灾这三个主要类别的火灾发生情况，我们发现了芦苇火灾与过去湿地存在之间的空间共性。在伊亚尼察和科帕达等地，湿地转变为农业用地（或土地复垦工程）的历史记录为我们的发现提供了背景。可视化结果证实了这些改造后的农业地区周围芦苇火灾的聚集。总之，我们的研究提供了一个基于芦苇燃烧的独特指标，可用于识别以前的湿地型生态系统，对整个地中海产生影响。尽管数据有限，这项研究还是增加了有关湿地保护和可持续土地利用管理的讨论。