The island of Rhodes is characterised by its rich flora and fauna as the abundance of water and the good weather conditions contribute to this. An exclusive resident of the wetlands of Rhodes is the Gizani, a small freshwater fish that lives in the springs and the streams of Rhodes.
It is known by its common name “Gizani”, or the scientific term «Ladigesocypris ghigii-Pisces Cyprinidae», which was given by the Italian professor Alessandro Ghigi, who discovered the gizani in the waters of Rhodes in 1900.
It is a tiny fish with maximum length of approximately 10-12 cm, and has the reputation of a durable organism that can cope with abrupt climate changes, for instance,very low temperatures during the winter or very high during the summer. It lives for a relatively short time of about 3 years and feeds on a wide variety of foods.
The gizani is an endangered species protected by both the Greek and European legislation. The main reason for extinction is the summer drought and the scarce water that remains in the streams of Rhodes during the summer months. So, although it has a sturdy body, the population of the fish decreases rapidly during the sumer, even though it is reproduced during spring and summer.
The gizani has appeared in several areas of Rhodes, especially in streams and springs, as in the river
Loutanis, the river Gadoura,the streams of Asklipios and Eleousa, the stream of Argiros, the dam of Apolakkia, the lake of the Dwarves and the streams of Ha, Makari in Lardos, Kremasti and Paradisi. Today the population of the gizani has disappeared from the lake of the Dwarves and the artificial lake of Apolakkia.
Nature made us the honor to host in the inland waters of our island a beautiful, unique fish, which is now an endangered species . As residents and enthusiasts of this region, we have to raise awareness and protect the the gizani of Rhodes from the malicious human factors that threaten its existence.
More information can be found on the official website for the gizani: http://www.life-gizani.gr/
