This was the first National Park to be set up in Greece (1937) and is one of the longest- established in the world. It contains approximately 1,700 species of plant, including some rare and even unique examples of wild flowers. The lower slopes are covered by species of the Mediterranean maquis such as holm-oak, arbutus, cedar and pomegranate mingled with other deciduous trees and conifers. Higher up there are forests of oak, beech, black and Balkan pine. Amongst the fauna in the Park are large mammals such as the wolf, jackal, fox, wild boar, roe-deer and wild goat, and smaller mammals such as the badger, polecat, weasel, hare and squirrel. The area's bird-life includes eagles, vultures and other birds of prey, woodpeckers and snow-thrushes.