Lake Karla, between the prefectures of Larissa and Magnesia, was one of biggest in Greece and the most important in Thessaly, existing since ancient times. The lake supported numerous species of fish and birds and also thousands of inhabitants that lived around it. It was drained in 1962 to make cultivable land, an experiment that didn’t work well for many reasons. A reservoir with brackish water created in 1989 in part of the drained lake. It is used for irrigation, migratory or non-migratory birds wintering here, recreation, educational and scientific aims. As the land turned out not to be as arable as expected, and with the support of EU funding, Lake Karla has been regenerated. The repercussions on the biodiversity of the area are expected to be positive, and you can read more about it here.
