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The Egnatia Motorway is the largest road currently under construction in southern Europe. It is understood that the construction of such a large-scale project causes both environmental and landscape disturbances. Being sensitive to issues concerning environmental protection, Egnatia Odos S.A. has implemented a series of methods aimed at the aesthetic restoration of disturbed surfaces and the prevention of surface erosion. The above-mentioned goal can be achieved through installation of woody vegetation species on the slopes of the Egnatia Motorway. Therefore, the company uses for restoration forestry species of native flora, which are adapted to the environment of the area to be restored. The company policy is to undertake itself the selection of seeds from various forestry species and produce plants in a nursery. For the collection of seeds, suitable biotopes in the wider project area as well as the species that can be massively produced were identified. The seeds collection were transferred to the company laboratory, cleaned, subjected to quality control and stored. Prior to the use of seeds in the nursery, the necessary pretreatment, depending on the species, was carried out in order to terminate the dormancy and enrich the germination. Meanwhile, the production of plants that were considered difficult to germinate was investigated. Seeding took place in QuickPot propagation trays and the filling materials used were: enriched peat, perlite and soil. During production, all the necessary measures were implemented in order to achieve an excellent planting material. After one year, the plants produced from the seeds in the nursery were transferred to the surfaces to be restored and were planted. The plants were planted near the areas from which their seeds were collected. The installation of vegetation on gunite, aiming at the aesthetic restoration of the landscape (apart from the protection of the slope against erosion), has produced very satisfactory results.

In this study, we examined the current environmental situation and geological–hydrogeomorphological characteristics, as well as the phenomenon of mass land movement in the area crossed by the National Road Thermopylae– Nafpactos (with an emphasis on the road running between Damasta and Skamnos, Ftiotida) Greece.We also depicted the changes and distortions in the condition of the geological–hydrogeomorphological characteristics due to both roadwork and the operation of the road.

The effect of hydro-seeding, with different combinations of mulching and fertilisation on the establishment of herbaceous vegetation on a slope of mining spoils, were examined during this work. The field trial consisted of four treatments: (A = hydro-seeding, B = hydro-seeding with cellulose plus the EI-1000 organic glue, C = hydroseeding with cellulose plus the synthetic glue CURASOL, D = hydro-seeding plus straw mulching plus asphalt fixing) with three replications. Hydro-seeding only, gave initially poor results, but in the following years these results were similar to those of the other treatments. The combined treatments gave better results initially but statistical differences between them were not identified. The vegetation in the third year was dramatically reduced, at approximately a third of the first year. As result of the fertilisation applied during the fourth year, the vegetation recovered, but to a much lower level than in the first and second year. The vegetation composition was dominated by the sown species in the first year but gradually the indigenous species increased up to 40–50% of the composition in the fourth year.

In the high-mountain region of the Tyrol in Austria, a special method was developed by Huter and Heumader (1981) for the revegetation of soils lacking humus using biennial cover plants. This method shows good results not only under normal conditions, but also on problematic sites such as steep slopes and in subalpine areas. With the exception of fertilizers, no synthetic components, e.g. bitumen emulsions or soil-fixing adhesives are needed. Biennial varieties of rye ( L.) and sometimes vetch ( Roth) are used as cover plants, which produce a lot of organic matter above and below ground. These rapidly growing cover plants prevent surface erosion and protect the slowly growing perennial revegetation plants. After 2 years, the rotting shoots and roots form a green manure, which is important for soil microorganisms. Biennial cover plants, perennial revegetation plants and fertilizer are applied together. On steep terrain small ditches (furrows), running diagonally across the slope, are dug or hoed by hand to control surface runoff and prevent surface erosion and the formation of rills and gullies. This method has proved to be cheap and effective and has the advantage of mostly using natural material.

Ongoing and increasing civil engineering and other construction activities in alpine areas pose a threat to local vegetation, soil cover and finally to slope stability. Most of the alpine vegetation communities are fragile and cannot be restored at all. Vegetation establishment is limited by short summers, heavy rain showers, hail, winds, low temperatures and strong UV radiation. The only persisting plants are specialists that evolved and thrive in these conditions. For revegetation at high altitudes thorough planning respecting the site conditions, use of site-adapted or local plant material and appropriate application techniques are essential.