The Pandoteira project participated at a networking with other LIFE Integrated Projects in France, between the 19th and 25th September 2021. The networking was organised in the framework of the Cypriot LIFE Capacity Building project, LIFE Cyclamen.
During this networking we had the opportunity to meet, discuss and network with four French Integrated Projects (IP). Namely: LIFE IP-MarHa, LIFE IP ARTISAN, LIFE Finance ClimAct and LIFE-IP SMART WASTE.
France is a Member State with an impressive number of IP projects (5 in total). Hence our visit was a fantastic opportunity to meet organisations participating in such projects and see their point of view on the way an IP project is formed and managed. It was also a great opportunity to gain scientific knowledge on different subjects and areas that could be transferred to Cyprus.
Through these meetings we managed to gain a massive amount of information and know-how on the management of such big projects. This information will be very useful for the execution and management of our own Nature IP project – Pandoteira.
More specifically, some topics that we discussed were:
- Establishing and using Protected Area managers
- Incorporating citizen science in such projects
- Engaging people in the management of Natura 2000 areas
- Establishing useful and productive communication with partners, stakeholders and the public
Some of the challenges that intrigued us the most were: water management, forest fires, forestry, floods and tourism.
Lastly, potential future synergies and collaborations were discussed. The Pandoteira project will surely remain in touch with all four French project Teams!
