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- Ελληνικά
It is with great pleasure that I am here today in the village of Ora, a village with which I have been associated under difficult circumstances for the village and the region, and I know at least part of the efforts being made for the recovery and development of all the villages in the region. After the catastrophic fires of 2021 in the area of Orini Larnaca and Limassol, I was invited at the initiative of a friend and distinguished geologist from the Department of Geological Survey to participate in a meeting which was also attended by a distinguished geologist professor from Greece and originally from Ora, to discuss environmental restoration practices and especially dry stone issues, due to the fact that boulders are considered an important fire retention factor as well as soil retention before and after a fire.
After this first important session, together with my colleagues in the framework of a relevant project of the IDEA that was run under the coordination of the Cyprus Institute, we accelerated the first workshop for learning and practicing the construction of booms in Ora and this workshop was of course addressed to the villages of the whole fire affected area. Indeed, with the contribution of the Ora Community Council as well as all the other Community Councils, the Phoenix Group, the Cyprus National UNESCO Committee, the ICOMOS Cyprus Committee, and the support of the Paradisiotis Company in terms of conducting coronavirus tests, presentations and a workshop on the art of dry stone and the good practice of building spears were held.
The workshop was attended by stone artisans from the area, who guided the trainees. This first workshop was held here in Ora. The overwhelming participation and enthusiasm that we all had in this workshop, and even under difficult conditions due to the consequences of the fire, had given me the strength to proceed subsequently to a series of workshops in areas and complexes of the Troodos Geopark. The love and willingness of you, the inhabitants, to work actively in the restoration of nature and the regeneration of your place, after the immense destruction you had suffered, is worthy of congratulations.
Then I came to the area for tree planting and had the opportunity to get to know more about the communities of Ora, Odou, Laya, Vavla, Melini, Kato Dris, Vavatsinias, Agii Vavatsinias and Kato Lefkara, the well-known "Bee Villages" of mountainous Larnaca - learning, among other things, that professional beekeepers as well as small and medium-sized honey production companies are active in the area.
One may wonder what the dry stones have to do with bees? The answer is that roosts hold the soil, create soil for cultivation, and shape the shell to enhance biodiversity.
The existence of bees is identified with life on the planet and bees have always been prominent in myths, folklore and religious texts as symbols of fertility, industriousness and harmony with nature. Aristotle states in many of his treatises that nature does nothing without a reason and without a purpose ('Uthen gar, als φαμέν, μάτην η φύσις ποιει'), all natural processes have a purpose.
With over 15 million years of presence on earth, bees ensure the reproduction of most of the wild/native flowering plants and most of the cultivated species, while at the same time they are among the most important regulators of forest and agricultural ecosystems.
1/3 of food production (fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts), 80% of cultivated and native plants, 90% of the world's food supply, depends on bees and other pollinators. And if the numbers are not easily understood for what they imply, with the extinction of bees and other pollinators, there will be no more apples, strawberries, cherries, watermelons, vegetables, grains, nuts, honey on our plates...
The damage caused by the devastating fires at the time included about 1480 beehives reduced to ashes, a factory with tons of honey, warehouses and workshops with beekeeping equipment and worst of all, the destruction of the flowering, which would take 4-5 years to return to its previous state.
Without bees there is no pollination, without pollination agriculture, food production is affected, soil quality is degraded with economic consequences for farmers, the economy, society, the whole ecosystem is affected, humanity is affected.
In recent years, the importance of protecting bee populations in both rural and urban environments has been recognised, and I congratulate you on all the initiatives in this context, especially the creation of the "Honey Roads" brand, for the actions to protect and support the Cypriot bee breed, the support and encouragement of beekeeping and beekeepers, the actions to raise public awareness of the importance of bees and the preservation of biodiversity, the promotion of honey, part of our cultural heritage.
The implementation of targeted actions for the development of the beekeeping sector is high on the Government's priorities and in this context a key pillar of the policy and action of the Office of the Environment Commissioner is the promotion of sustainable development and horizontal cooperation with the relevant government departments and in society through awareness-raising actions. It is for this reason that we encourage and embrace such initiatives as a contribution to the protection of biodiversity which, as I mentioned, also falls within the specific objectives of the Government, including the enhancement of the ecosystem and the conservation of habitats and landscapes.
My Office is actively involved in the biennial information campaign on bee conservation conducted by the Institute of Professional Studies of UCLan Cyprus University and establishes synergies with the private sector, academics and civil society, an essential element for environmental, social, economic, political and cultural sustainability.
In conclusion, I warmly congratulate you for organizing this celebration on the occasion of World Bee Day and also congratulate all of you for staying here, developing and holding the villages together,
I wish you success in your goals and a happy and prosperous future.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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