The Department of Environment and the 13 partners of the Pandoteira project organised a 2-day celebration for the European Natura Day. The celebration took place on May 20th and 21st, 2023 and it included various activities in nature.
On Saturday, May 20th, the heart of the celebration was Kambos (Tsakkistras), where visitors could participate in a number of activities, including:
- Cyprus Forest Heritage Museum tour and mouflon observation
- Traditional bread making
- Traditional decorative art on pumpkins
- Hiking and birdwatching at Kalonomati waterfall trail
- Treasure hunt
- Exploring water invertebrates
These activities were coordinated by Terra Cypria, and were executed with the support of representatives from the: Department of Environment, Department of Forests, Game and Fauna Service, Frederick University, Cyprus University of Technology and Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus.
On the same day, members of our team from the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research participated at the “Thalassa” festival in Limassol. At the Pandoteira stand, children could play with our interactive educational games on sea turtles, while at the same time all visitors were informed about the Pandoteira project.
On Sunday, May 21st the celebration moved to Mammari, for a hike combined with bat observation! This activity was executed by the Department of Environment and Frederick University.
What is Natura 2000?
The “Natura 2000” European Ecological Network is a wide European network of protected natural areas for species of flora, fauna, birds and habitats. Apart from protecting nature and biodiversity, the Natura 2000 network offers us great benefits. For example, the network helps mitigate climate change, protects us from natural disasters, contributes to food security, offers us purified water, attracts visitors thus contributing to the support of regional economies, while at the same time supports full time jobs.
The Pandoteira project
The Pandoteira project deals with the management of the Natura 2000 network in Cyprus, with the purpose of making the network more effective and functional, as well as sustainable. The project is co-funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme, it is coordinated by the Department of Environment and has 13 other associated beneficiaries from Public Bodies, Universities, NGOs and private companies. Find out more about the project’s Partners here.
To learn more about the Pandoteira project follow this link.
