Three partly overlapping NATURA 2000 sites are designated in the Northeastern Edge of Crete (NEEC for short). NEEC is also part of the UNESCO “Sitia Natural Park”. NEEC is a complex area of important habitats, which includes the unique in Europe Vai Palm Forest (one of the 19 “Aesthetic Forests” of Greece, under the management of the Forestry Department), Sidero peninsula, small coastal wetlands protected by the Greek legislation, Dyonissades and Elassa groups of islets and adjacent marine area. NEEC is one of the driest areas of Greece. Geologically, it consists of limestones and dolomites of the upper Cretaceous, bedded crystalline limestones of the Permian, phylites and neogene and alluvial deposits. The vegetation is mainly phrygana. There are a lot of valleys with maquis, some of them degrading. The Theophrastus palm forest (Phoenix theophrastii) of Vai is situated in a coastal valley. There are plantations of bananas in greenhouses and the land near the villages is cultivated. At the eastern coast there are sand dunes. On the west side of Sidero peninsula there are Posidonia oceanica beds and flocks of Tursiops truncatus have been observed. On the tip of Sidero peninsula there is a military base. The Dyonisades islets group consists of Permian limestone while Elasa islet consists of dolomites and limestones of upper Cretaceous. The vegetation on the islets is phrygana. In the larger islet of Dyonisades group as well as on the opposite coast of Crete the coastline is characterized by sea cliffs. In 2015, the site was extended 2nm off the Cretan and surrounding islet coasts, to include important and vulnerable habitats of the circalittoral and deep zone, including biodiversity-rich facies of coralligenous assemblages (deep counterpart of Habitat Type 1170), and extensive detritus and rhodolith beds, at depths below ~40 m. Several islets, reefs and shoals add to the geographic and topographic complexity of the site. A significant number of Cretan endemic plant species and protected plant species occur in this area. The non-endemic Lygeum spartum belongs to the desert-like floristic element, occurring only in steppe communities in Crete but nowhere else in Greece (it occurs at similar habitats in Spain, Sardinia, Sicily and Italy). Concerning the fauna, there are a lot of invertebrate endemic species and some vertebrate endemic subspecies. Reptiles Lacerta trilineata and Podarcis erhardii, besides being legally protected, they are also considered species of Community interest (Annex IV, Directive 92/43/EEC). The mammal Pipistrellus savii is considered species of Community interest (Annex IV, Directive 92/43/EEC) and protected by the Greek Law (Presidential Decree 67/1981) and by the Bern Convention (appendix II). A lot of land snail species are endemic to the site or to Crete. The Dyonissades islet group has been characterised as an Important Bird Area, especially for birds, which live at cliffs. Species of interest are Falco eleonorae, Falco naumani and Calonestris diomedea. C. Diomedea’s Dionyssades population is one of the largest breeding populations of species in the Aegean Sea. Adjacent marine waters include shearwater foraging, resting and rafting areas. The marine area around Dionyssades and Elassa is threatened by illegal fishery, whereas the islets themselves are vulnerable due to overgrazing. Sandy coasts along Sidero peninsula attract numerous tourists. The Vai plam forest is threatened by underground water over-pumping for irrigation purposes and by the alien species of Phoenix dactylifera, which is related to Phoenix theophrastii. Other threats are intensive cultivation, overgrazing, which is sometimes combined with intentional fire setting, illegal hunting and camping.