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The workshop "From Local to Global Protection: Inclusion of Community Clusters in UNESCO's Biosphere Reserves", at the Environmental Education Centre in Salamiou, organized by the Office of the Environment Commissioner in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (Environment and Sustainable Development Education Unit).
The workshop is the first of a series of information workshops/workshops to be held by the Office of the Environment Commissioner with the aim of informing the communities of the Diarizo and Xeropotamos Valleys as well as stakeholders and individuals, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme, which aims to achieve sustainable development of the areas included in the programme and a harmonious relationship between people and their natural environment, in combination with research, education and participation of local communities.
In her introductory speech at the conference, Environment Commissioner Theodosiou said that "Faced with the climate crisis, the need to effectively address its impacts and the loss of biodiversity with all that this implies is becoming more and more urgent: we only have one planet and it is in danger. Our relationship with nature and other living beings needs a radical overhaul - we must design and create a truly shared world for the environment and humans where they can co-exist. This is the goal of the world's biosphere reserves. They have proven that it is possible to live prosperously in this world while establishing a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature. Ms Theodosiou then made a brief reference to the MAB programme and that the Office of the Environment Commissioner will make every effort within its capabilities to implement the vision agreed with Cluster Z, initially and then if they wish to add the other Clusters of the Diarizo-Xeropotamos Valleys, stating that "the Diarizo-Xeropotamos Valleys with its sensitized human potential, its wealth of history, architectural and cultural heritage, local traditions, internationally interesting geomorphology, environmental specificity, great biodiversity, the presence of endemic bird species, natural beauty and the unique natural and cultural landscape, as well as the Environmental Education Centre operating in Salamiou, are an ideal case for their inclusion as a single area in this World Network".
In his welcome address, the current Representative of Cluster G of the Diarizo-Xeropotamos Communities Mr. Kostakis Avgusti said that the Cluster's Community Leaders had asked the Commissioner for the Environment to undertake to coordinate the effort to join the MAB Global Network, whom he thanked for her willingness to assist this magnificent effort. He expressed the hope that this process, which is in its initial stages, would eventually come to fruition, and stressed that on the part of the communities and residents there is an awareness of the environment and, above all, the will and desire to make every effort for the sustainable development of their area with the support of the State.
On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the workshop was welcomed by Ms. Elena Stylianopoulou, First Officer for Environment, stating that the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment "strongly supports the objective that aims at and enhances the long-term conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, the protection of environmental services through programs such as the MAB". He added that a long-standing objective of the YWAP is the protection and sustainable management of the environment and, by extension, the natural wealth of Cyprus, noting that "the successful integration of the Diarizo-Xeropotamos Complex into the Biosphere Reserve Network can serve as a model of applied sustainable development and as a model for other areas in Cyprus". Concluding, Ms. Stylianopoulou congratulated the stakeholders of the Complex for all the efforts they are making for the development of their area as well as the Office of the Environment Commissioner who has undertaken to support these efforts.
Dr. Arabella Zachariou, welcoming the workshop on behalf of the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, said that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth has always been and will continue to stand by the communities and in all their efforts for their sustainable development, adding that the people of the area love their land and the environment and that they have always had a vision for their community, noting also that the Minister of Education served at the Pedagogical Institute during the planning of the Salamis Environmental Education Centre, an important project based on the principles of sustainable development, and that she has been with the efforts of the Salamis Community Council ever since and will continue in the same way.
The newly elected President of the Paphos District Self-Government Organization, Mr. Haralambos Pittokopitis, welcoming the conference, said that man and the environment must coexist, stressing that as a District Governor he will always be there to help and support the Communities in all their efforts for their sustainable and sustainable development "not with words but with deeds".
During the workshop there were guest speakers and invited speakers from Cyprus and Greece.
In his presentation "UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme" Dr Kostas Kadis, President of the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO, stated that "the MAB programme is UNESCO's flagship initiative for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development through strengthening the relationship between people and their environment". In his presentation, he referred to the key characteristics of the areas included in the programme, which include valuable ecosystems and human communities, combining in an exemplary manner the protection of the ecosystem and biodiversity, the conservation of natural wealth and human culture, being national and global examples of a balanced relationship between people and the environment in which they live and operate. It also referred to the main objectives of the MAB programme, which are to ensure human well-being and a sustainable environment, to study the interactions between ecosystems and socio-economic processes, to investigate the impact of the loss of biological and cultural diversity on human well-being, to share and transfer knowledge about environmental problems and solutions and to promote education about the environment and sustainable development.
Ms. Elena Stylianopoulou, First Environment Officer and Cyprus Contact Point for the MAB Programme, in her presentation "Biosphere Reserves: learning sites for sustainable development" presented the programme and the process of preparing a dossier for the nomination of sites for inclusion, stating that she will act in an advisory capacity to any effort of the Cluster. He noted as an important factor the need to allocate funds for this purpose and presented potential sources of funding for this effort - structural funds, various European programs and the state budget - stressing that these can be valuable tools for the Communities for the actions to be planned under the MAB program.
Invited to the workshop from Greece was Professor Michael Skullos, Director of the UNESCO Chair and Network for Management and Education for Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean at EKPA, President of the Greek National Commission MAB/UNESCO (Man and Biosphere) and President of the Mediterranean Information Office (MIO-ECSDE), who presented the process of preparing the nomination dossier of Parnonas for inclusion in the Biosphere Reserve Network. He referred to the tetrahedron of sustainable development, Environment-Society-Economy-Governance, noting as "unacceptable development that destroys the environment, erodes the capacity of ecosystems to provide their services and organisms' natural defences to disease and wastes natural resources in the 21st century" and as "outdated the 'museum' approach to protected areas without community participation". In his presentation he also made reference to the main factors for a successful submission and inclusion in the Programme which, apart from the importance of the biodiversity of an area and the existence of traditional settlements and elements of living intangible cultural heritage, very important is "the unanimous will of local authorities and residents, as well as the support of the preparation of the dossier and the operation of the reserve by local Development Corporations, with proper studies and simple, flexible structures to achieve for their place this distinction".
Also from Greece, the guest speaker was Mrs. Theano Vrentzou-Skordalaki, President of the Local Management Committee of Asterousia (TEDA), who referred to the "Inclusion of Asterousia in the UNESCO World Network of Reserves". Ms Vrentzou-Skordalaki reviewed the process towards the recognition of Asterousia, stating that many meetings were organized to discuss the benefits and procedures required for the inclusion of the area, open events to inform the local community and stakeholders about the proposed zoning of the area and its management, as well as educational workshops focusing on training for sustainable development in protected areas. He then referred to the development action plan that had been developed, which was based on 5 priority axes, smart and green growth, infrastructure development, social development and extroversion, while taking measures and actions in this direction.
Dr. Arabella Zachariou, Head of the Environment and Sustainable Development Education Unit (ESEDU), in her presentation presented the work of ESEDU, stressing that what connects people with the environment is education. In the context of biosphere reserves, she said that an important parameter is environmental sensitivity and that this is something that the inhabitants of the region have proven to possess not as a teachable but as an experience, stressing that they themselves, by practically demonstrating love for their place and respect for the nature around them, are able to become educators and pass on this knowledge and experience from generation to generation and to visitors to the region in order to meet this need for education and environmental awareness.
Biodiversity, Special Protection Zones (SPAs) and Special Conservation Zones (SCZs) of the Diarizo-Xeropotamos Valleys area were mentioned by Mrs Filiot Ioulianou and Mrs Marilena Papastavrou, Scientific Officers at the Office of the Environment Commissioner, as well as the pressures and threats to the ecosystem, such as, among others, the opening of roads and dirt roads, crop expansions, poaching, land use changes, riverbed interventions, pesticide use, garbage and fires.
The last presentation at the workshop, a timely and very important one, was the presentation by Mr. Pierantonio Papazoglou, Scientific Associate for Civil Protection and Safety of Response Personnel/Responders of the CERIDES Centre, European University Cyprus on "Prevention and preparedness for agroforestry fires in the context of enhancing landscape resilience". Mr. Papazoglou highlighted the importance of prevention and preparedness, response/intervention and recovery, analyzing the risks and drivers of fires today, which are mainly the natural conditions of Mediterranean ecosystems, the climate crisis with an increase in extreme fire-meteorological conditions and the increase in harmful human activities and behaviors. In his presentation, Mr Papazoglou also referred to the need to strengthen the "active-responsible citizen", to inform and educate the population in preparedness and evacuation plans in the context of a "safety culture", to organise the soil and landscape with ecotopically adapted practices and techniques while integrating modern technologies and "smart" tools, and to enhance the resilience of the landscape.
The workshop concluded with a discussion on the topics presented and a tour of reference points in the community of Salamis, with Environment Commissioner Theodosiou stating that "nature can only shield us against the climate crisis if we shield and strengthen it ourselves".
(APS)
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