-
.
- Ελληνικά
It is with great pleasure that I attend today at the Presidential Precinct on the occasion of the presentation of the "Zero Waste to Landfill" certificate for the Presidential Palace, an initiative undertaken by First Lady Filippa Karsira Christodoulides and the former Commissioner for the Environment and current Minister of Agriculture Dr. Maria Panayiotou.
Apart from the objective of making the Presidential Palace a model of environmental management, in the same context it was decided to upgrade the Presidential Palace enclosure, which was designed to play an important environmental and educational role through the development of targeted actions and activities. One of the actions decided to be implemented concerns the restoration of existing and/or the construction of new booms and cobblestone elements along the paths.
The booms, these dry-stone soil retaining walls, are built with stones without the use of binding mortar. This sustainable building technique has its roots in ancient Cyprus in structures found in defensive walls, monument walls, but also in cobbled floors and roads. Dry stone structures have multiple functions - they convert barren land into arable land, accumulate and retain soil by supporting terraces of agricultural activity, allow the land to absorb water, retain moisture, delineate pieces of land and agricultural functions, organise water management by fixing the walls of wells, vents, burrows, ditches.
At the same time, dry stone walls are intertwined with soil protection, the development and enhancement of biodiversity, providing a shell for flora and fauna species. Dry stone walls are home to the various stages of butterfly metamorphosis, spiders find their food, hedgehogs, rodents and birds find shelter in their large cavities, while extensive flora such as herbs, fungi, wild flowers and other plants grow in them.
Their special feature, however, in this period when the climate crisis is leading Cyprus to extensive soil desertification and fires are threatening the country, the dikes are the main way of dealing with landscape erosion, preventing and/or slowing down the spread of fires, while the terraces that the dikes create by accumulating soil absorb and store atmospheric pollutants.
Having collaborated with the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO for the inscription of the Art of Dry Stone on the World List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, thus highlighting its cultural value and its importance for sustainable development and participating as a UNESCO expert in relevant educational programmes, It was with great pleasure that I responded to the invitation of Marios Adamidis from the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, to participate in the effort to preserve and revive the beams in the enclosure areas. I also proposed the inclusion of the action in the educational program that has been decided to be developed for the orchard entitled "Presidential Palace, our sustainable home", both as digital information and in conducting workshops to learn the technique for visitors to the orchard.
After examining the construction of the existing logs and the geology of the rocks formerly used here in the orchard, three types of construction were recorded. It was decided to pilot reconstruct a beam approximately 30 meters long and about 70 cm high which was in very poor structural condition. It was decided to demolish it, to reuse its healthy stones, and to use new stones of similar geological characteristics to the existing ones, which were collected from landfills located on state-owned land in Arona. This highlighted the importance of reusing materials and zero waste without the need for stones from quarries. Besides, the dolmens were traditionally made from stones collected from the scraping of fields for cultivation.
Valuable partners in this project were nominally: Forestry Officer Vasos Fokas, Forestry Officer 1st Class Michalis Siakallis as well as the regular workers of the Forestry Department and craftsmen of course: Andreas Steliou, Kostas Nikolaou, Andreas Ioannou and Kostas Argyrou.
In conclusion, I mention that today, the xerolithic landscape is collapsing and/or being altered due to neglect, ignorance, reckless developments and actions. In the past, knowledge of the technique was passed down, from generation to generation. Today it is vital that this knowledge is passed on through educational activities and programmes, thus contributing to the preservation of this piece of our cultural heritage, but also because the use of dry stone can reduce the phenomenon of soil desertification and the collapse of the rural landscape of our country.
For these reasons it is imperative to develop a national strategy for the dissemination of the technique, including public education.
In conclusion, I extend my warm congratulations to the First Lady as well as to all those who have contributed to this excellent project.
Thank you for your attention.
(ASP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
