Dioni, Aetolia & Acarnania, GR
Athina Xenouli
Dioni is a coastal wetland located on the Ionian Sea, on the northwestern edge of the Acheloos (Gr. Αχελώος) river delta. It constitutes a dynamic and important ecosystem of the Messolonghi Lagoon and National Park, listed in the NATURA 2000 network and protected by the Ramsar Convention.
The landscape of Dioni is the product of 10.000 years of alluvial sedimentations of the river and is defined by fluvial and marine processes. The equilibrium of the dynamic system changed dramatically in the last four decades. Following the construction of dams and land drainage, the river’s fluvial supply and deposits gradually decreased. Thus nowadays the marine processes (wave and current action) in combination with seasonal temperature and weather conditions, predominate the Delta.
In the last few years, human presence and interventions continuously increased with the construction of illegal houses, alongside conflicting uses such as illegal fishing and livestock grazing and leisure activities including kite, wind-surfing and even camping on the dunes.
Dioni is a sensitive ecosystem currently under severe threat due to anthropogenic interventions and the lack or inefficiency of legal and planning provisions.
Landscapes of Change
