In a city built amphitheatrically around the Thermaic Gulf, where many water channels remain neglected or have been filled in, recent images from Valencia and Bangladesh, both of which have suffered from devastating floods, bring the issue of wetland protection into sharp focus. Recently, the Region of Central Macedonia issued studies and guidelines for the prevention and management of risks arising from natural (climatic and other) disasters. Yet, the practices actually followed in Thessaloniki stand in stark contrast to these guidelines, not only in form but, more importantly, in substance
The importance of wetlands (lagoons, river mouths, marshes, deltas, etc.) as vital ecosystems is well-documented by national and European authorities. Wetlands support biodiversity, shield against extreme weather events and floods, combat climate change, and improve air quality. It is for these reasons that the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in 1971, aiming to protect these ecosystems. However, as forestry experts Maria Panagiotopoulou and Stratis Bourdakis pointed out in 2022, citing the case of the Tsairia wetland in Peraia, “Apart from the ‘famous’ wetlands, which enjoy some level of protection through the Natura Convention, the ‘anonymous’ small wetlands, scattered across coastal areas, suffer and often disappear due to systematic drainage, leveling, and infilling. They are regarded as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and filth and are typically earmarked for haphazard development under the guise of various ambitious growth projects, such as vacation settlements, ports, airports, and, more recently, Technological Innovation Parks.”
In Thessaloniki, for several months now, the infilling of the coastal wetland at Peraia, recognized by the Hellenic Biotope-Wetland Centre (EL 52208200 Coastal Wetland of Peraia), and known locally as “Tsairia”, has been underway. The aim is the construction of the oversized “4th Generation International Technology Park – ThessINTEC.” Tsairia, along with the Coastal Wetland of Mikra (EL 522026000), represents the last remnants of the once-extensive coastal wetland at the estuary of the Anthemountas River. This area is periodically flooded, and, according to records by members of the Hellenic Ornithological Society, it is home to 190 bird species, many of which are protected under national and European Union legislation.
What is striking about this case is that, beyond the imminent destruction of a wetland, a serious issue in and of itself, the planners of ThessINTEC seem to overlook the long-term impacts of such a development, particularly regarding the area’s ability to manage heavy rainfall in the future. It also raises the question of how construction will proceed in an officially designated “No-Build Zone,” especially since the stability of buildings on the land cannot be guaranteed, even after drainage efforts.
We walk with1 Maria Panagiotopoulou, ornithologist, and Petros Kakouros, environmental forester, at Tsairia, where ThessINTEC is planned to be built – Watch the video:
The Beginnings of ThessINTEC:
In 2020, TAIPED (Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund) allocated a prime 760-acre site at Tsairia, with views of the sea and Mount Hortiatis and located near Thessaloniki’s airport, to the Alexandria Innovation Zone. This organization, in turn, granted a 99-year lease to a public-private partnership (PPP), the Business Park Development Company ThessINTEC S.A. (EANEP ThessINTEC S.A.), which is responsible for the project’s planning and construction. The private sector holds a 58% stake, while the public sector retains the remaining 42%. This company controls the necessary studies for, and construction of the project. To date, €20 million in private funding and €35 million from the Recovery and Resilience Fund have been secured for the project’s first phase, with an estimated total investment of €50 million planned for infrastructure and initial buildings. Additional investments include €25 million from the Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) and €30 million from an Israeli fund.
The ThessINTEC project has been described by the government and its proponents as “The Next Big Thing,” with promises of fostering startup innovation, attracting high-tech companies and researchers from abroad, creating 7,000 jobs, and more. Beyond research facilities, ThessINTEC will feature buildings and infrastructure, parking spaces, a hotel, an aquarium, residential units, and other amenities. The plan includes a commitment to allocate 5% of the property to green spaces in its southern section, as well as the creation of a green area along the beachfront (extending up to 30 meters from the shoreline).
In October 2022, Greece’s Council of State (CoS) rejected the initial Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) for the ThessINTEC project. The SEIA failed to mention the wetland located in the area, its ecological characteristics, or its significance as a habitat for birdlife. According to a report by the Thermaic Gulf Protected Areas Management Authority (now OFYPEKA), the wetland is a crucial breeding ground for wading and waterbirds and serves as a gathering place for migratory and overwintering species.
A striking example of the SEIA’s inadequacy was its reliance solely on data from a study by Fraport, the operator of the nearby Macedonia airport. This study focused only on bird species and bird-aircraft collisions near the airport, without addressing the flora, fauna, or ecological value of the wetland itself. The CoS requested further clarification and additional data on the wetland’s ecosystem. A revised SEIA was subsequently submitted but was challenged by the Hellenic Ornithological Society. However, the challenge was dismissed, and in February 2024, a Presidential Decree was issued defining land uses, building terms, and restrictions for the area.
Challenges of Building on a Wetland
The Presidential Decree (FEK 15/02/2024) reflects the concerns voiced by the scientific community, public institutions, and experts. Among its key provisions, it mandates that all necessary measures must be taken, based on approved studies, to mitigate flood risks associated with the inclusion of the area in a Zone of Potentially High Flood Risk (Article 3, Paragraph 4). According to the Presidential Decree, addressing this risk must “be a priority both for resolving issues of construction unsuitability and as a key design parameter to ensure the proper use of areas that include building facilities and other developed surfaces.” In any case, it is required to take into account the provisions of the approved River Basin Management and Flood Risk Management Plan for the Central Macedonia Water District, as well as the recommendations outlined in the geological suitability study.
As Maria Panagiotopoulou, a forester-ornithologist, briefly explains in an interview with Alterthess, “The Presidential Decree itself prioritizes and makes it a necessary condition to conduct a required geological study in order to determine the necessary works for improving the conditions of the subsoil, based on the conclusions of the geotechnical study (Article 3/Paragraph 1.6).”
According to Ms. Panagiotopoulou, “It is evident that the project’s design is incomplete, as it is now widely recognized that a significant portion of the investment is located in an area classified as a ‘No-Build Zone’ due to the hydrogeological substrate, which is waterlogged, as well as the presence of a seismic fault. At the same time, because the area is the river’s estuary (and specifically its last free-flowing section due to the airport and other buildings), this makes the location even more unsuitable for construction. Notably, the geological study the company itself has prepared2 mentions that landslides occur over a very long period, meaning we cannot immediately perceive the impacts of construction.”
Thus, the Presidential Decree calls for “all necessary measures to be taken to lift the building prohibition and ensure the feasibility of construction (including the study and approval of required drainage and flood protection works, reconfiguration of the terrain through backfilling of low-lying areas with suitable granular materials, properly compacted, and finalized with appropriate elevation levels and morphological slopes).”
Maria Panagiotopoulou highlights the importance of recognizing that “the area of Peraia, as well as the Municipality of Thermaikos, has repeatedly been affected by severe weather events and flooding of low-lying coastal plains, culminating in the devastating storm of September 2016, which resulted in the loss of a woman’s life. Additionally, the Business Park will host a significant number of employees and visitors on a daily basis. Therefore, it is deemed essential to evaluate the adequacy of the flood protection measures (Article 3/Paragraph 5).”
What stance did the local authorities take?
To issue the above Presidential Decree, the Metropolitan Committee of Thessaloniki gave a majority-positive opinion in May 2023 regarding the proposals of its services on the updated version of the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) for the Special Urban Planning Scheme for the establishment of a 4th Generation Technology Park.
To issue the above Presidential Decree, the Metropolitan Committee of Thessaloniki gave a majority-positive opinion in May 2023 regarding the proposals of its services on the updated version of the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) for the Special Urban Planning Scheme for the establishment of a 4th Generation Technology Park.
However, the reservations expressed by the services of the Region of Central Macedonia regarding the SEIA were of particular interest. As stated in their report, “The criteria examined for assessing the plan’s impacts on each mentioned bird species were weighted equally. Consequently, the risk of habitat reduction or loss, which was assessed as high for several species, was ‘mitigated’ by offsetting with other criteria. Moreover, it is not clear why the risk of displacement due to disturbance, which is undoubtedly significant for certain species due to the reduction of the wetland nature of the area and the increased human presence, is mostly characterized as low, and only moderate for two species.” Additionally, the services pointed out that the SEIA “concluded, among other things, that no change is expected in the diversity or number of bird species,” which, in their view, “is not strongly substantiated, given the change in the character of the area.” The members of the Metropolitan Committee who opposed the proposal were Giorgos Zervas, Anatoli Agathangelidou, Sotirios Avramopoulos, Philippos Ganoulis, and Nikolaos Chrysomallis.
Among the objections raised were concerns over the cementing of a plot of land that hosts such rich biodiversity, as noted by Philippos Ganoulis, as well as the fact that the allocation of 760 acres constitutes the privatization of a large expanse of public land. Sotirios Avramopoulos argued that “we are talking about state funding for what is essentially a private business project. local government, universities, and research centers in the area are being used as a ‘front’ for a corporate scheme in which decisive power will lie with the Northern Greece Industrialists Association (SVE), the Exporters’ Association (SEVE), and major businesses.” He further stated that the property allocated to EANEP for the establishment of the technology park faces significant issues in terms of seismic and flood protection, which would require additional funding to address, a cost that will ultimately fall on taxpayers through taxation.
The Municipality of Thermaikos also issued a positive opinion on the matter.
Concrete in a Flood-Prone Wetland
In the consultation for the revision of the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments for the Central Macedonia Water District, the primary flood risk management issues identified include the rising mean sea level in coastal areas of the Thessaloniki Gulf, particularly in the regions of Loudias, Kalochori, and the coastal settlements of Agia Triada, Peraia, and Neoi Epivates. Additionally, based on risk analyses, there is a high risk of flooding at the intersection of the Anthemountas River with the Thessaloniki-Nea Moudania National Road and in the area near Macedonia Airport.
Studies conducted on the geomorphological characteristics of the river basin reveal that sharp peak flood phenomena and debris transport have occurred even with rainfall of moderate significance. The dominant land uses affected include densely cultivated agricultural fields and grassland areas, with urban areas being affected to a lesser extent. The magnitude of flood depth and flow velocity is significant enough to cause damage. According to the Flood Risk Management Plan, flooding problems have been reported in the settlements of Thermi and Vasilika. Notably, the area of Thermi, where a significant flood event was recently recorded (on September 7, 2016), is identified in all flood scenarios as a very high-risk area.
It is significant to note that the European Union’s Climate Adaptation Strategy, formulated in February 2021, emphasizes promoting large-scale nature-based solutions to address the gradual rise in sea levels in coastal areas. Such solutions would increase climate resilience while contributing to multiple goals of the European Green Deal. These include the protection and restoration of wetlands, coastal, and marine ecosystems.
As the strategy states, “The use of nature-based solutions inland, including restoring the sponge-like function of soils, will enhance the supply of clean, fresh water and reduce flood risk.”
This raises a critical question: how do European and national directives on urban “resilience” align with the decision to densely redevelop a large coastal area, as in the case of ThessINTEC, in a region already heavily altered and developed? Furthermore, another issue is whether such actions violate European Directive 2000/60/EC, which aims to protect water bodies, including wetlands, as well as the UN’s directive for ecosystem restoration and the recent European law on nature restoration.
Another major issue in the area is the salinization of extensive regions in the Anthemountas Valley, particularly around Peraia, due to over-extraction of groundwater to meet agricultural demands. Consequently, and based on scientific studies (Nagoulis and Loupasakis, 2001), decades of uncontrolled actions have rendered the area unsuitable for construction. In its intervention during the public consultation on the SEIA for ThessINTEC, the magazine Ecotopia concluded that extensive salinization increases the risk of land subsidence, making the area unsuitable for construction, a point also emphasized in the SEIA itself. The study notes particularly adverse geotechnical conditions in the surface subsoil and proposes appropriate stabilization works. However, the study appears to overlook fundamental safety issues related to construction in a wetland while downplaying the impacts on birds, characterizing the effects of the complete and irreversible destruction of the wetland as “negligible.”
While it is evident that millions of euros will be spent attempting to develop the wetland, a practice with high environmental costs that also hinders efforts to address climate change impacts, a multitude of abandoned industrial buildings across the city continue to remain unused.
The reuse of such properties is not just an example taken from abroad but is already being implemented in parts of Eastern Thessaloniki (e.g., the Pfizer building) and other areas in the country (e.g., on Piraeus Street and in central Piraeus). However, in the case of ThessINTEC, contrary to all common-sense efforts toward environmentally protective practices, the preference is to build on the mud, ironically under the guise of innovation!
Research and editing: Jason Bantios, Stavroula Poulimeni, Tilemachos Fassoulas
Up next: Thermaikos Gulf: A Precious Ecosystem at Risk
The research of the independent media cooperative Alterthess titled “Urbal Resilience, Climate Neutrality: The case of Thessaloniki” was realised with the support of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung-Office in Greece. Read the complete research here.
- The interviews with Maria Panagiotopoulou and Petros Kakouros took place in June 2024 [↩]
- See the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of ThessINTEC [↩]
