The fourth IBA Caretakers’ workshop was organized by BirdLife Cyprus on 23 and 24 April 2016, at Droushia village. The meeting aimed to bring IBA Caretakers together for an annual meeting and to offer training on issues that help IBA Caretakers carry out their work easier. During the workshop, the current status of the network was presented and IBA Caretakers had the opportunity to learn more about the Nature Directives and received training on Google Earth and GPS applications. Moreover, emphasis was given on the methodology of annual reporting. In parallel, IBA Caretakers had the opportunity to practice their skills in the field and have any questions they might have answered.

During the workshop, an excursion to Akamas IBA gave us the opportunity to see first-hand some of the most serious threats to the area and also to practice our GPS skills. Overall, the workshop was a great success as it was attended by 21 IBA Caretakers, who once again showed their dedication to the network and also their wish to continue being a part of this great team of volunteers who work to protect Cyprus’s nature.

BirdLife Cyprus would like to thank all IBA Caretakers for their contribution to the network and express also its commitment to the continuation of the IBA Caretakers program in Cyprus.

The BirdLife Cyprus IBA Caretakers network was set up as part of a project funded by the NGO programme of the EEA Grants in Cyprus, which ended in April 2015.