The Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR), within the framework of the Pandoteira project, recently offered an unforgettable experience to pupils from the 2nd Makedonitissa Primary School. The children had the unique opportunity to witness the release of Amalia, a green turtle, after receiving a three-month treatment at DFMR’s sea turtle rehabilitation centre.
More specifically, the pupils visited last November the Cyprus Marine Aquaculture Research Centre (CyMARC) of DFMR in Meneou – which also functions as a First Aid, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for injured and sick sea turtles. During their visit, the children witnessed the release of Amalia into her natural environment. However, our team’s awareness-raising efforts did not stop there. On February 4th, 2025, members of our team from the DFMR visited the same pupils at their school and helped them learn even more about sea turtles, through interactive educational games dedicated to these fascinating creatures.
These educational games, which were developed under a previous European project (LIFE EUROTURTLES), teach children about the life cycle of protected marine species such as sea turtles, their diet, and the threats they face in the Mediterranean. At the same time, the teach kids simple practices they can adopt to contribute to the protection of sea turtles and the marine environment as a whole.
As of May 2022, members of the Pandoteira team, under the guidance and coordination of the DFMR, have presented interactive educational programmes to more than 2,000 students. These programmes focus on marine protected species and marine conservation.
The Pandoteira project focuses on managing the Natura 2000 network in Cyprus. Its purpose is to make the Natura 2000 network more effective and functional, as well as sustainable. The project is co-funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme, the coordinating beneficiary is the Department of Environment, while the consortium also includes 13 associated beneficiaries from public bodies, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations and private companies.
For more information about the educational games, please contact us on info@pandoteira.cy.
