In Xanthi there are the following Natura regions: Mount Chaidou - Koula and the surrounding peaks, with an area of 3,488 hectares, the straits of Nestos river with an area of 8.752 hectares and the aesthetic forest of the river (Nestos) with an area of 2,335 hectares. Nestos is still the “pride” of the northeastern Greece because of the ecological value and the rareness and beauty of it’s natural environment. The forest - aquatic ecosystem of the river is of international importance, a national park, that is protected by the international Ramsar Convention and is part of the network Natura 2000. “The Straits of Nestos”, meaning the 17km that the river travels from Stavroypoli to Toxotes, have been characterized through a presidential decree in 1977, as an Aesthetic Forest covered by specific requirements for protection.