Gulf of Amvrakikos

A we go down from the coasts of Epirus to those of Sterea Ellada, we suddenly find ourselves in front of one geological paradox. The compact shoreline is split by a narrow zone of sea, however big enough to create into the land the country's most fascinating "closed sea". It is a result of intense tectonic activity, that began 2 million years before. It is a tectonic draught which started to get full with the depositions of the two rivers Arachthos and Louros. The gradual elevation of the sea during the last 10.000 years had as a result the penetration of the Ionian sea in the area between Aktio and Preveza and the flooding of the Gulf which in this way took its current form. Amvrakikos penetrates into a big part of the land occupying an extent of 405 square kilometres.

The main creators of the enormous wetland of Amvrakikos are the two big rivers that flow into the gulf, Arachthos and Louros. Because of the age-long action of their waters, these two rivers contribute in the shaping of an exceptionally complex as well as unique for the Greek standards swamp system with a size of 220.000 acres that include big and small lagoons, elongated low islets that separate the lagoons from the sea, riverine areas, river estuaries, salty and sweet swamps, immense calamus fields, wet fields and landes. Amvrakikos is an impressive variety of ecotopes, that constantly change, unfolding a picture of rare beauty. Some hillsides in the district of the gulf are covered by oak forests, while the remnants of riverine forests are not absent, forests that together with the pasture lands and various cultivations, supplement this splendid mosaic of the different landscapes and pictures.

In Amvrakikos at least 20 entire lagoons are included, a number that is not met in any other part of Greece. Their total extent exceeds the 70 square kilometres, while the most of them are separated from the sea by a long islet, which is an elongated band of land. By observing a long islet from a distance, one can have the impression that it is constituted by sand. If he looks closely to the soil of the most of them however, he realises astonished, that its synthesis is constituted by innumerable conch nutshells. But what are lagoons? They are shallow lacustrine extents right next to the sea. They are created by the action of rivers and waves, which for many years accumulate mud, sand and shells in a shallow coast. All these brought materials shape slowly a band of land, which isolates a part of the sea and transforms it into a lagoon. The three biggest lagoons of Amvrakikos, every one with its own specialness, is the "Logarou'" with an extent of 25,75 square kilometres, the "Tsoukalio'" with 16,5 square kilometres and the "Rodia" with 13,5 square kilometres. A main characteristic of the lagoons of Amvrakikos is their big biological productivity. Because of the specialness of their configuration, they function as natural breeding grounds for fishes and crustaceans so that they produce big numbers of fishes and many other living organisms.

In the natural openings that exist at the band islets and which allow the communication of lagoons with the sea, the fishermen of Amvrakikos have for some years now install "ivaria" or "divaria". These are special constructions with canes, that, while they allow the free entry of fishes from the sea, prevent them to return and thus entrap them.

Amvrakikos gulf is the only region in Greece where a frequent use of satellite transmitter on turtles is realised in order to comprehend the locomotions of the turtles far from the coasts they spawn. At the same time, collaborations with coastal fishermen and piscatorial associations have been developed, that aim in the recording of the damage that are caused by the accidental entanglements of turtles in the piscatorial tools and in the proposal of solutions to the aid of fishermen.

Frequent observations of wounded turtles, and also the great distance from the only Centre of Rescue for Sea Turtles in Greece (Glyffada, Athens), were the reasons for the creation of a First Aid Station in the region. The Station was created with the support of the European Community program Life Nature and is accommodated in the Centre of Environmental Education of Arachthos, at Koprena Artas. In collaboration with the Centre, briefings of visitors are realised, like releases of recovering turtles, projections of transparencies and video etc.

The Centre of Environmental Education of Arachthos was founded in 2003 and is located at Koprena Artas, a region near the estuaries of river Arachthos. Koprena was built on 1896 and was the first harbour of Epirus, since Preveza was still under Turkish slavery, while Arta had been set free since 1881. It was operational until 1945.

The name originates from the layer of animals' manure that pastured there (first reported under this name in 1304). Later was renamed in Aliki.

Press here to you see the map of Amvrakikos Gul

Installations:

Projection room
Library
Teaching room
Laboratory of information technology
Offices
Museum of Traditional Fishery
Museum of Natural History
Museum of Lighthouses
Observatory of birds
Guest house
Yard
Careenage - First aid station that helps the sea turtle caretta-caretta
Showroom of ships
TOL - future laboratory of biology and Chemistry

The silver pelican

The Silver pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is the only pelican that is settles all the time of the year in Amvrakikos. It is a very ancient species and the largest pelican kind that survives today on Earth. The opening of its wing is almost 3,2 metres! Its famous silhouette is easily recognized, thanks to the white colour and the yellow or orange - red sachet under its long beak. Until not many years ago, because of the dramatic shrinkage of its geographic spread, the silver pelican was in danger of extinction from the planet. Today the situation has been improved, though it is still one of the endangered species. The strict measures of protection brought results in Greece too, and its populations in Amvrakikos and in Prespa have been increased.

So while in the beginning of the 80s in the Amvrakikos existed less than 20 pairs, in the beginning of 21st century they survive 70-80. In this demographic intensification, decisive was for a start the contribution of the Greek Ornithologist Company, which from the winter 1984-1985 initiated a program of guarding/watching as well as an expedition of environmental education. To this also contributed the Piscatorial Union of Aneza as well as the Amvrakikos Growth Company.
The pelicans are nesting on islets in the lagoons Tsoukalio and Logarou. The population of silver pelicans of Amvrakikos is the only one of the European Union that nests in coastal lagoons and perhaps the only one that is nourished regularly at the sea, together with the dolphins and gulls. Every day a silver pelican eats 1,2 kilos of fishes, usually species that do not have a great commercial value. It does not catch fishes from the networks of fishermen and normally fishermen and pelicans fish in harmony, in different points of the lagoons.
The bigger danger for the pelicans are humans, particularly when humans approach the pelican colonies during the time of reproduction. Then the frightened birds are forced to fly away, and as a result the eggs are breaking into the nest or the baby pelicans die from dehydration and cold. Therefore the meticulous following of the terms of protection of this beautiful bird is necessary, a bird which is the bigger aquatic in the world with a flying ability. Source: Greek panorama magazine