Rafina Megalo Rema River, Attika Greece
Since about the mid nighties naturalists have been aware of the Rafina Megalo Rema river and its characteristic river mouth area near the port of Rafina.
It is a hotspot for wildlife watching near Athens.
Unfortunately, the idea of a building a mega- anti-flood engineering project to supposedly protect against floods is now destroying 17 kms of this small river and the tiny wetland hotspot at the river's mouth.
They, the politician responsible, the technocrat companies and their like, have absolutley no idea how easy it was to at least make some changes to their original scheme, to compromise for the sake of nature. The eBird hotspot at the river mouth is definately on the the top birding sites in Greece and a 'gateway experience' for families and youngsters to have contact with nature. I cannot experess how important it is, in words.
It should not be lost.
What I could do is rant about this and just get all depressed, very easy. What I will do is direct you to a site that has the whole story and to some poeple that are doing their best to stop the catastrophe. I hope we can succeed.
Hope never dies.
Have a look here:
https://megalorema.gr/
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| Enigineering works in 2025! Deepening and narrowing the channel... |
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| Rafina in the 1950s. The river valley and estuary of the Rafina Megalo Rema river-mout evident at Left. ...this my friends was 'The Greece of Yesterday' (in the late O. Rackham's words). |
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| Our proposal for the future, the vision in 2023; a plan to protect and restore the wetland within the City of Rafina. Above, the site in 2023; Below a future idea based on ecological restoration and wildlife habitat enhancement principles. |
