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Last month, employees at CYTA Headquarters in Nicosia were delighted to welcome back the Kestrels that have been nesting on the windowsill of one of the offices for the past 12 years!

 

After a kind invitation by Mr. Nicos Nicolaou, Head of International & National Relations in CYTA, whose office windowsill the birds have been occupying, BirdLife Cyprus visited the headquarters to ring the 6 chicks. During ringing, a ring with a unique ID is placed on the leg of the chick- this allows the collection of data for the study of the biology, behaviour, and movements of the birds, should some of them be recaptured or found in another area.

 

To share the happy occasion, CYTA has installed a webcam- you can watch the live streaming video of the Kestrels by clicking here.

 

Many thanks to CYTA for informing BirdLife Cyprus of the return of the Kestrel family, for letting us publicise their webcam link and for inviting us to ring and meet the Kestrel chicks up close! Enjoy!

 

     

  

 

 

 

 

The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is one of the most powerful policy tools within and outside Europe, as it consists of a very large part of the EU budget (about 40%). Therefore, the policies promoted by CAP have an impact on several sectors of the economy, the society and our environment.

Farmers are in fact the most important managers of the environment and nature in Europe, and the way they manage their land affects us all. In addition to agricultural produce, "sustainable" agriculture offers to society a variety of "common goods", such as clean water, healthy ecosystems, biodiversity, attractive landscapes and vibrant rural communities that are not rewarded by the market.

The Common Agricultural Policy should ensure that public expenditures are used to promote the public benefit and not any private interests.

BirdLife Cyprus believes that EU and national governments should continue to underpin rural development, recognizing and enhancing the public services it offers, by supporting the transition from the intensification of production to a sustainable agriculture, based on the following principles:

 

For more information about the CAP and Agriculture please click here. 

 

Mr. Georgios Yiatros, the Vice-chairman of the Cyprus Hunters Federation, KOK, has issued a public apology to BirdLife Cyprus, withdrawing accusations he made in Phileleftheros newspaper in October 2011 relating to our anti-trapping campaign. In a statement of apology published in the same newspaper on 31 March 2012, Mr. Yiatros admits his claims were “unfortunate and off-the-mark”, withdraws them and expresses regret. The KOK Vice-chairman explains that his aim in making the original statements to Phileleftheros was not to “damage or doubt BirdLife Cyprus in any way”, but rather to highlight his concerns about the inadequacy of efforts to police habitats for the protection of hares and Chukar partridges. 

 

“The Cyprus Hunting Federation (KOK & DAZ) recognizes and respects the work of BirdLife Cyprus and is willing to continue to work with BirdLife for the sustainable management of wildlife” , Mr. Yiatros concludes. 

 

BirdLife Cyprus Chairman Melis Charalambides expressed satisfaction at the way the issue had been resolved: “The slanderous and baseless accusations have been withdrawn, regret has been expressed and the road remains open for future cooperation with KOK.” 

 

 

The members of the LIFE Oroklini project Steering Committee had their first meeting on 27 March 2012 at the Game Fund’s head offices to discuss the progress of the project and to coordinate the next actions.

 

The members of the Committee are staff members from the five beneficiaries of the project (Game Fund, BirdLife Cyprus, Environment Department, Department of Forests and Voroklini Community Council), as well as staff members from the Water Development Department (WDD). The participation of the WDD, which is the competent authority for water management and for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Cyprus, ensures good cooperation with that department. It also ensures that the department is thoroughly aware of the project objectives and how it can help, especially with regards to the hydrology and water management of Oroklini Lake.

 

The project’s Steering Committee, which will meet twice a year as foreseen under the LIFE Oroklini project proposal. The primary function of the Steering Committee is to assess the progress of the project and the implementation of the actions, and to achieve good cooperation and communication between the partners.

 

During the meeting, the members of the Committee accepted the Committee’s “Terms of Reference”, gave an update on the progress of actions and discussed the next actions and events. A positive step forward for the smooth implementation of the LIFE project was the announcement that the flea market which has been operating illegally in Oroklini Lake since 2007, has finally left the site and the removal of all the paraphernalia is ongoing. The good news was announced during the Committee meeting by the Project Director (Game Fund-leader partner).

 

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The LIFE Oroklini project entitled “Restoration and Management of Oroklini Lake” is a three year project implemented with the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union. To read more on LIFE programme please click here. 

 

To read more on the LIFE Oroklini project please click here.