With the aim of planting 400 trees and strengthening biodiversity through the construction of drystones, the Environment and Animal Welfare Commissioner Antonias Theodosiou announced the project "Tree planting in the National Forest Park of Kavo Greko", in collaboration with the Hellenic Bank and the support of the Philosophical Association Cyprus
The Commissioner, speaking at a press conference, underlined the importance of the project to restore degraded ecosystems and promote environmental awareness in society.
He emphasized the importance of achieving climate neutrality and protecting the natural environment, which aims to promote sustainable development and protect the environment.
"Our approach focused on implementing a project with long-term positive impact and high ecological value. The action we are announcing today is not just about planting trees – it is a holistic, multi-layered initiative in the context of environmental sustainability, and contributing to global environmental goals and human well-being and sustainable development,” he added.
He stated that the project is also in line with the recent EU Nature Restoration Directive which concerns the restoration of degraded ecosystems and is an important tool for dealing with the loss of biodiversity, strengthening the resilience of the landscape, restoring natural areas, forest regeneration and the protection of soil and water resources.
He said that the area chosen in Cape Greco for the project works as a nature-based solution. Through the restoration that has been done of a pre-existing dog park, the functionality of the land is restored and converted into a habitat, contributing to climate neutrality and ensuring that it can continue to provide ecosystem services, i.e. the benefits that a healthy ecosystem offers to humans and society.
In particular, he added, "within the project that provides for the strengthening of the area by planting 400 trees, we additionally proposed the construction of dry stones/buildings, which offer significant support for the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity, protect against soil erosion and help in water retention, enhancing the sustainability of local flora and fauna ecosystems". He also mentioned that dry stones are, after all, a 100% ecological and traditional method of holding the soil and creating cultivable terraces. He also mentioned that they proposed the planting of matsikorids, a native species of Cyprus, which enrich the biodiversity and support, at the same time, the pollination services, crucial for the maintenance of healthy ecosystems in the area.
In addition, he said, to the above multiple benefits, the selected area will be able to function not only as a nature reserve, but also as a place that can be visited by organized groups, schools and citizens, thus contributing to the cultivation of environmental awareness and the empowerment of society.
