The Department of Environment organized a Conference on “Nature-based Solutions for coastal protection and coastal resilience”, on October 24, 2024. The conference was organized in Nicosia, within the framework of the Pandoteira project.
The general scope of the conference was to inform the Pandoteira project partners, as well as a number of stakeholders, including representatives of policy makers, governmental departments, non-governmental organizations, coastal local authorities, researchers and others regarding the importance of evaluating and adopting soft coastal protection solutions, in the context of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Moreover, the conference emphasized on the importance of implementing the provisions of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol of the Barcelona Convention, as well as on the importance of its Ratification by the Republic of Cyprus.
The Conference had over 70 participants, who were able to benefit from the experience and knowhow of our guest speakers from Greece, Croatia, Spain and Cyprus.
Presentations
See below the keynote speakers and their presentations:
Ms. Yiota Lazarou, Environmental Officer, Department of Environment
«Protocol of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and its implementation in the Republic of Cyprus».
Mr Dimitrios Melissas, Professor in the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens
«Allowable interventions on the Coastal Area».
Mr. Igor Belamarić, Project Assistant at UNEP/MAP Priority Actions Programme / Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC)
«Guidelines on NbS for adaptation to climate change in different coastal typologies».
Mr. Marko Prem, Deputy Director of UNEP/MAP Priority Actions Programme / Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC)
«Examples of implementing coastal adaptation measures through coastal planning».
Dr Gonzalo Malvarez, Professor at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla
«The importance of coastal resilience and considerations on the use of NbS for management of coastal areas».
Dr. Dimitris Stagonas, Lecturer in Coastal Engineering, University of Cyprus
«Challenges for Cyprus’ Coastal Infrastructure in a Changing Climate».
Dr. Louis Hadjioannou, Senior Associate Researcher at CMMI – Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute «Nature based solutions to tackle specific threats/pressures in Cyprus».
Dr. Maria Hadjimichael, Senior Associate Scientist – CMMI Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute «Governance Needs for Coastal Resilience in Cyprus – Looking Inwards, Looking Outwards».
The Conference received the support of the Priority Actions Programme / Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC), which is one of the six Regional Activity Centres of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), itself part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment). Also, this initiative was supported by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, as well as by the Cyprus Commissioner for Environment and Animal Welfare.
Click here to find out more about the Pandoteira project.
