Zourva Paradise
The area aroung the village Zourva by Chania hosts the most impressive wood of West Crete. The name of it is Paradisos (paradise) and stretches from Pises Gorge and Aliakes. The tree that dominates the area is the cypress tree, the most typical tree in the forests that cover the White Mountains. Through the forest of Paradise comes the old trail that climbs steeply from Zourva to the springs of Tromarissa and continues up to the peaks of Madara.
This route has been picked up within the 10 green tourist routes of Chania by the Forest Service. Yet this very valuable piece of land in the only green lung has remained intact and should be protected. However, this is destroyed daily by the flocks of goats and illegal lodging, without the Greek state trying to solve the problem. Especially during the last years, shepherds have illegally left their goats in the forest. The goats, after having eaten all types of grass, have started eating the tree barks and the trees have started dying
