BirdLife Cyprus celebrates completion of Akrotiri marsh project

BirdLife Cyprus on Friday announced the completion of a two-year project to restore the Akrotiri marsh and have invited the public to an event to celebrate on May 18.

The date was deliberately chosen to coincide with International Day for Biodiversity which is on May 22. This year’s theme is ‘Biodiversity and sustainable tourism’, which BirdLife Cyprus says is by “happy coincidence a big part of the Akrotiri marsh restoration project”.

“Birds, as other wildlife, depend upon the delicate balance of ecosystems for their survival. Restoring, protecting and properly managing habitats is key to the preservation of biodiversity. Akrotiri marsh, a unique wetland within the British Sovereign Base Areas, is home to many bird and plant species,” their statement said.

BirdLife Cyprus, together with the Akrotiri Environmental Education Centre and the British Royal Society for the Protection of Birds implemented the project ‘Akrotiri Marsh Restoration: a flagship wetland in the Cyprus SBAs’ funded by the UK government in 2015.

“Thanks to the project, the site has benefited from on-site conservation actions as well as awareness raising actions and creation of visitor infrastructure,” BirdLife Cyprus commented.

The event to highlight the results will start at 5.30pm at the Akrotiri marsh with the inauguration of one of the two birdwatching hides on the north side of the site. Rehabilitated wild birds will be released by the game and fauna service. It will continue at the Akrotiri Environmental Education Centre at 7pm with two presentations, one on the challenge of managing the Akrotiri peninsula and one on the Akrotiri marsh restoration project.

BirdLife Cyprus has urged the public to join in and enjoy birdwatching from the new visitor facilities.

a bird watching hide at Akrotiri marsh
a bird watching hide at Akrotiri marsh

 

To find more about the project visit www.akrotirimarsh.org, www.birdlifecyprus.org or email  [email protected]

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.