The Department of Environment and Terra Cypria organised a 2-day celebration for the European Natura Day. The celebration, which was organised within the framework of the Pandoteira project, took place on May 18th and 25th, 2024 and included various activities for children and adults.
On May 18th we organised an educational hike at Cape Aspro, which is one of the most impressive coastlines of the island. During the hike, members of our team shared interesting information about the importance of the flora and fauna of the area, which is part of the Natura 2000 network.
On Saturday May 25th 2024, our team organised a number of activities for children and adults at Pissouri. The activities included:
- Treasure hunt
- Traditional halloumi making observation
- Orienteering
- Interactive activity for barn owls
- Bird ringing and bird release
- Crafts and
- Educational games related to sea turtles, seals, vultures and climate change.
The activities were coordinated by Terra Cypria, and were executed with the support of representatives from the: Department of Environment, Department of Forests, Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, Game and Fauna Service, BirdLife Cyprus, Open University of Cyprus, Frederick University and Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus.
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.
