Ηow many of us have truly explored this site, its natural, cultural and traditional aspects? And why are we now worried about its preservation?  

Summer weekends combined with city heat does not sound very exciting, but that did not stop postgraduate students of the European University of Cyprus to use their creative powers and add some colour in the heart of the city for a refreshing summer afternoon.

For metal-heads, there’s ‘Rock in Rio’, for pop culture aficionados, there’s ‘Coachella’, for electro-heads, ‘Tomorrowland’, and for birders, there’s… the UK ‘Birdfair’. And, well, you may as well forget the rest, because Birdfair is where you really want to be, if you are into birds, nature, and anything in between.

With summer here and temperatures on the rise, who isn’t looking for ways to cool themselves down? Flocking to (or even daydreaming of) swimming pools and the beach, with a refreshing drink at hand, is probably the logical thing to do. But what would the closest equivalent be, that would help cool our feathered friends in this heat? The answer is simple: a bird bath. 

‘Trapping under derogation’ using the argument of tradition is often heard in public discussions on the hot issue of illegal bird trapping (ambelopoulia) in Cyprus. The European Court of Justice has effectively closed the door on this widely used pro-trapping argument with its conviction of Malta for allowing the trapping of seven finch species under derogation. While the Directive allows derogations only under specific and strict conditions, tradition, however, is not one of them.

‘Trapping under derogation’ is an argument often heard in public discussions on the hot issue of illegal bird (ambelopoulia) in Cyprus. The European Court of Justice has effectively closed the door on this pro-trapping argument with its conviction of Malta. The court decided that Malta was in breach of its European obligations for the protection of birds, by allowing the trapping of seven bird species under derogation. The Directive allows derogations only under specific and strict conditions, which do not include “tradition”.

BirdLife Cyprus is outraged by the latest developments on the Zakaki Casino, at Akrotiri Peninsula, which is set to go ahead without any proper assessment of impacts on the environment and wildlife. This goes against both EU and Cypriot laws.

At the northeast tip of the Karpasia Peninsula, a remote chain of rocky islets is home to the world’s easternmost breeding colony of one of Europe’s most elegant and distinctive gull species, the Audouin’s Gull. 

The EU Action Plan for the Turtle Dove is a major step forward for the protection of this threatened species, but only if the measures proposed are put into action, including the restriction of hunting.