Ms Vassiliou was speaking at the opening of a photo exhibition on last year's devastating fires that hit eight villages in mountainous Larnaca and Limassol, entitled "Before-During-After", held today, Sunday 3 July, at the Ora Primary School.
The exhibition was co-organized by the Office of the Environment Commissioner and the Association "Phoenix", in cooperation with the Cyprus Photographic Society Limassol Section, and will be presented in all fire affected communities.
In her speech Ms. Vassiliou said that "exactly one year after the devastating mega fire that occurred last year in the region, today is a particularly charged day. It is what we are dealing with because of the climate crisis, fires that are moving very differently than we remember in years past, because the Earth's temperature is rising, the winds are different, and extreme weather events are not helping this effort at all. The prevention part and our own contribution to preventing a fire from starting is hugely important," he said.
He added that "through the photographic exhibition, there are so many messages recorded that have to do with how the land seems to be regenerating but also how some of the plots have not been affected by the fire because they were cared for, loved, cleaned, had vines planted in them and it is something that we need to see again how we are still restoring, for biodiversity purposes and supporting the land for erosion issues, greening, restoring biodiversity. These are all issues that are being looked at by the Services and are being incorporated into the new Rural Development Programme."
He further noted that "as a government we are declaring our presence, led by the President of the Republic, on the side of Phoenix and the Communities from the very first moment, in full and direct cooperation for all that we had to do. It was impressive the way the Services worked for the erosion control works, which were implemented in record time, since the first of the objectives was to contain the soil, prevent the possibility of flooding and allow the process, regeneration of nature, to be done rationally".
A year later, the Environment Commissioner continued, "we see the land greening up again, there have been several tree plantings in very many communities, alongside the roads, there and where we could intervene, always in a friendly way, because sometimes, even out of excessive love, we can make interventions that are not beneficial. We must always be careful and listen to the advice of experts and scientists," she said, noting that all the Services were at the disposal of the area, for the trees and the places where they had to be planted and the restoration that had to be done by removing materials and materials that were in the earth.
Ms. Vassiliou also said that "there is a lot that we have initiated and still have to do, but I think it is a day of optimism. The President, myself, the Ministers and the government as a whole are on the side of Phoenix and the communities in the area for what is needed and whatever else needs to be done."
For her part, Christina Michael, President of the Phoenix Association, the Initiative Group created after the July 3 fires, said that "today is a day with many memories and emotions, since this time last year we all lost something, a piece of land, a house and of course four of our villagers. A year later, we see people creating out of the rubble, hoping and not giving up."
He added that "the exhibition wants to reflect exactly this, that the regeneration and reorganization of villages must definitely continue with the same intensity and love and through partnerships and specific actions, in assigning roles and responsibilities to make our regions self-sufficient with a focus on the local people and sustainable development."
He also said that the aim of the exhibition is "to give the message that we are still here, trying and regenerating from our ashes. We were particularly touched by the resonance in the world and the embrace of the idea by all the co-organisers, citizens and fellow citizens," he said, noting that a total of 300 photographs were taken while the Photographic Society selected 100 to be presented in the exhibition.
Moreover, Andreas Iakovou, President of the Cyprus Photographic Society, Limassol Section, said that "it was a great honour for us when a delegation from Phoenix asked us to capture the aftermath, but also to collect material from before and during the fire for today's exhibition. The Photographic Society could not help but participate because it produces art, photography is art and art produces culture."
He added that "what the Phoenix and the symbolism of the mythical bird is trying to do is regeneration and we can see that several places have turned green. We are and will be with the Phoenix, whenever he asks us, to help and document spots in the area either from the fire affected areas or from the various communities."
Referring to the material gathered, Mr. Iakovou said that "it is quite a lot and it was a difficult choice to select 100 photos which clearly depict what we wanted to show, the regeneration and the effort to prevent such a bad thing from happening again."
The President of the Oras Community Aristos Miltiades thanked everyone who contributed to the organization of the exhibition, "especially the Phoenix team for taking the initiative in a short period of time to do what we can for the surrounding communities. For us today is a special and difficult day because memories come back to each of us."
Particularly moved and with tears in his eyes, Miliades said that "I personally still haven't forgotten it, nor have I overcome it, I don't know how long it will still take for this to happen. We had other fires in the area but we did not expect what happened, to lose 65 kilometers, it is something that none of the communities thought we would get."
Ioannis Pavlou, Head of the Forestry Department in Lythrodonda sent the message that "we must be very careful when visiting the forests because one spark is enough to bring destruction. The fire that broke out in the communities of mountainous Larnaca was the worst and the message must be given that we must be careful."
He noted that "a fire does not start by itself while addressing the people who have cottages he said that "they must clean them, take care of them because they are another reason for a fire to start."
Moreover, DISY MP Prodromos Alabritis congratulated the organizers of the exhibition and described as "touching the effort made by the community leaders of the region and the people to revitalize and regenerate their area".
At the same time, he thanked "all those who contributed to the effort to rebuild and revitalize the area from the state machinery, the government, the relevant ministries and the thousands of volunteers who through tree planting and other efforts contribute to the rebirth of the place".
The exhibition will be hosted until 8 July at the Ora Primary School, from 9-7 at the Odos Cultural Centre, from 20 26 July at the Eptagonia Cultural Centre.
The exhibition will also be presented from 08 - 14 August at the Panagia Chryseleousa Melini Cultural Centre, from 15 21 August at the Central Café of Akapnoe, from 23 29 August at the Primary School of Vavatsinias, and from 6 - 13 September at the Arakapa Multipurpose Hall.
It is noted that copies of the photographs will be available for sale at all the venues hosting the exhibition and the proceeds will be donated to support the Voluntary Association "Phoenix".
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