Sub-project in Etolico (GR)

  Aitoliko is a town of about 4,800 and the seat of the municipality of this name in the southern part of Aetolia-Acarnania. It is located north of the Acheloos delta. The geography has rocky bushy hills to the east and farms along with some grasslands and swamps within the Achelous to the west.

  The Aitoliko Lagoon is a lagoon located east of Aitoliko surrounding the main municipality and is 14 km2. The old part of the town lies quite romantically on an island between two lagoons of which the Aitoliko Lagoon which extends up to Stamna and a river lies to the north and the Messolonghi Lagoon which was Lake Kynia in antiquity lies to the south and broadly southward to where it connects with Gulf of Patras and into the Ionian Sea

  The Achelous delta to be found west of Messolonghi is the most extensive delta in Greece. The Messolonghi lagoon is one of the largest lagoons of the entire Mediterranean sea with its depth of 1.5 m. It is separate and its sea water is renewed from the Gulf of Patras, while the Aitoliko lagoon is a little deeper and is 30 m deep.

  Of economical importance is the saltworks located to the east about 100 m from the sea with an area of about 500 m2 and a width of about 1 km between Aitoliko and Mesolonghi. It has been producing salt for years. Farmlands are to the east with hills and rocky landscape. Fishing is common in the lagoon. The lagoons are the richest waters in Greece as far as fish are concerned. Here, boats are used. In different places, wooden huts on stilts can be seen. Land development and waste management endanger the entire delta area. A large tract of land is under nature protection (included both in the NATURA 2000 and RAMSAR networks) and hunting is banned. In this area, 170 species of birds are found.