EU cash for nature areas in the north

THE EUROPEAN Commission has signed a €1.5 million euro contract with a consortium led by a Polish company ‘to prepare detailed plans for management and protection of six specially protected areas in the north.

These sites are likely to be designated as ‘Natura 2000’ sites following a comprehensive settlement and reunification, the Commission said in a statement.

The consortium led by the Polish company NIRAS IC Sp. z o.o. will also provide assistance for building the professional capacity of the Turkish Cypriot community stakeholders responsible for nature protection.

“The northern part of Cyprus has unique habitats for rare flora and fauna and scenic natural landscapes that are in need of protection and conservation so as to be preserved for future generations,” said the Commission.

“However, the Turkish Cypriot community currently lacks adequate systems for protecting these vulnerable natural resources.”

The project will last 36 months during which time the consortium will survey the habitats for species and birds of the selected sites, will prepare management plans for their protection in accordance with the requirements of the Natura 2000 directives.

It will carry out a public awareness campaign, prepare detailed designs for the infrastructure measures necessary for the protection and management of the sites, and will supervise the implementation of the infrastructural measures

The end goal of this contract is to achieve effective systems of nature protection in the northern part of Cyprus through developing high quality management plans, drafting tender documentation and contracting and implementation of about €3.5 million for infrastructure works at the Natura 2000 sites, and building professional capacity for the management of protected areas.

The start-up meeting will begin on Monday in the presence of EU officials, the statement said.

The project is funded under the €259 million EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, managed by the European Commission.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.