Introducing the Case Study, the Asopos River Basin in Greece

The case study area is presented in this chapter. The study area comprises the river and estuary of Asopos and the lagoon of Oropos northeast of Attica. Along the Asopos river human activities, mainly agriculture and industrial take place. Industrial and agricultural effluents pollute the river, the aquifers and the soils of the area, making it a negative example of the impacts to humans and environment that arise from non sustainable use of natural resources. The chapter starts by presenting the geographical distribution of the river system and the water bodies of the catchment. The chapter presents also a review of the related legislation that has contributed to its current situation. Then the current water status of the catchment is described, while the pressures and related impacts in the catchment are examined. Afterwards the focus is on the social and environmental functions and values of Asopos River and Oropos Lagoon. Identifying the main social, economic and environmental impacts of degradation in the area provides the background for the analysis that follows in the subsequent chapters.