Near the eastern entrance of Aitoliko, some 290 m. before the eastern bridge, is the headquarters of the Management Unit of the National Park of Messolonghi and Protected Areas of Western Central Greece (formerly the Management Body of the Messolonghi Lagoon – Akarnanika Mountains, which from 2022 was incorporated into the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (N.E.C.C.A)). Apart from the management of the area of Messolonghi – Aitoliko, the Unit also supervises the Echinades archipelago, which is located very close to the wetland system of Messolonghi, but administratively comes under the jurisdiction of the Kefallinia Regional Unit.
The Management Unit, apart from its coordinating role and other activities related to the protection of the Park through data collection, programmes and special studies, ensures through printed material and various activities to raise awareness among citizens and the educational community about the values of wetlands and other Natura 2000 sites, their ecological functions and their impact on the quality of life and the well-being of local communities.
The Information Centre welcomes and informs hundreds of visitors through guided tours and information material, and moreover organises a variety of other activities, such as field visits. At the end of October 2023, the upgraded Information Centre was inaugurated, which was funded by the Operational Programme of the Region of Western Greece 2014-2020. Its organized exhibition includes digital and other infrastructures of an educational nature, characteristic images of the park’s habitats and the flora and fauna species it contains, as well as special film screenings. The Centre also offers information on bird watching and guided tours can be organised on special request.
P.O. Box: Aitoliko, 304 00
Telephone: 26320 55094
E-mail address: https://necca.gov.gr/ https://www.fdlmes.gr/
