The riverside forest of Fraxos or Fraxia is located in the area of Lessini, near the road leading from Messolonghi to Astakos. Since 1985, it has been classified as a “Monument of Nature to be Preserved”, as it is a remnant of the dense water-loving forests that once existed around the riverbed and in the area of the Acheloos estuary. These have now disappeared due to the drainage that took place in the area since the 1930s. It is included within the boundaries of the National Park of the Messolonghi-Aitoliko Lagoons, the lower course and estuary of the rivers Acheloos and Evinos and the Echinades Islands and has been declared by the Council of Europe as a Biogenetic Reserve of the Region of Western Greece.
It is a water-loving forest, covering an area of about 148 acres, consisting mainly of ash trees, of which it has three species, but also of many other trees and plants, such as elms, willows, laurels, climbing plants and others. In general it boasts an interesting flora and is one of the most important habitats for amphibians, reptiles, insects and arthropods. It is a very important habitat of ecological and aesthetic value and of beauty.
