A BICOMMUNAL group of environmentalists have expressed their outrage at the amount of rubbish they found on Lara Beach’s protected turtle breeding grounds in Paphos at the weekend.
The group, consisting of around 30 Greek and Turkish Cypriots, who first met in Brussels under the auspices of the EU, visited the Akamas to carry out the beach clean up.
The chief representative in Cyprus is Androulla Kaminara said it was outrageous that so much rubbish was found.
“We organised a beach-cleaning event in Lara beach and Toxeftra beach. Lara is home to nesting turtles. We were surprised to find such a large amount of rubbish on the beaches and collected enough to fill up a van,” she said. “These included plastic, bottles and drinks cans. It’s outrageous of people to leave these things behind in places such as that.”
She said many of the bags were almost too heavy to carry to the rubbish collection point.
This was the second such event the group had attended, the first was a trip to Kormakitis.
The trips were planned after a group of NGO environmentalists were sent on a training trip to Brussels. The group was made up of colleagues in specialist fields and they met with colleagues in other fields. Group members then asked the EU if it could facilitate further meetings.
“We ‘re planning to go to the Karpas peninsula in the future, but the date has yet to be agreed,”
Kaminara said.
“We are now ten times more friendly, if that is possible, and people are fired up to ask where we are we going next.”
She said the movement is snowballing, and she has received enquiries from people trying to find out how they may join in with the projects.
“It’s a real pleasure to see all these experts and specialists in their fields being so dedicated to a common cause,” she said.” Of course other bi-communal groups, such as those looking at how to re-use old quarry sites must also be acknowledged, as they are also dong good work,” she said.
This week is also Green Week and there are a series of events taking place in Nicosia. Tonight at Strovlos Municipality at 8.30pm there is a photographic exhibition titled Water of Life. A press conference in northern Nicosia will be followed by a showing of Al Gore’s documentary film An Inconvenient Truth.
“It’s important for people to know that a wide range of events are happening, which are helping bring the two communities of Cyprus closer together,” said Kaminara.
“It’s good for people in Paphos to know that Turkish Cypriots bothered to come and clean up Lara beach. These events, and being a supporter of the environment, are for the common good of all the people. The turtle doesn’t understand about green lines and buffer zones.”
