Txipio
Txipio is an old Plentzia neighbourhood located on the other side of the estuary. This neighbourhood extends from the parking area for the metro to the hills and trails beyond the main road.
This lively neighbourhood is characterised by its residential variety and its natural features, such as forests, hills and marshes.
The marshes are low coastal areas flooded by the tide and covered in salt-tolerant vegetation. Although the surroundings of the estuary have increased in altitude over the years, part of the Txipio marsh is still preserved. However, the marshes nearly disappeared on several occasions, along with the biodiversity they sustain. The marshes were used for agricultural purposes in the mid-19th century. They were filled artificially and the straight channels that were dug to increase drainage into the estuary can still be seen today. A retaining dike with two gates was built to drain the water toward the estuary and the road from Barrika to Plentzia was later built over it.
The marshes were abandoned after being used as farmland for an entire century. However, tide water continued to enter through the abandoned gates and the marshland recovered its natural appearance within 50 years. Nowadays, the Txipio marshes are the most valuable environmental setting of the Plentzia Estuary, as well as an important refuge and resting place for migrating birds.
