Workshop on Forest Management in Cyprus

The Cyprus Forestry Department organized a workshop on forest management on October 31st and November 1st, 2023 in the village of Droushia, Cyprus, in the framework of Action C5 of the LIFE Bonelli eastMed Project. In addition to the Project partners, six foresters from Greece (from the Attica Region, Edessa, Peloponnese, Crete and the Central Forestry Directorate in Athens) participated in the workshop and were invited to observe how forest management is carried out in Cyprus. In addition to the Cypriot speakers, a presentation was made by Dr. Dimitris Bakaloudis, Professor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who was invited by the Forestry Department, especially for this event.

During the first day of the workshop, after the introductory speeches on the LIFE Bonelli eastMed Project, presentations from all sectors of the Forestry Department followed, with emphasis on forest fire prevention and management, biodiversity monitoring and forest recreation management, as well as a talk on the history and management of Paphos Forest.

On the second day, the participants visited Paphos Forest, a mature Trachea Pine (Pinus brutia) forest, whose tall and mature trees create an excellent and representative forest ecosystem of this type, reasonably impressing the Greek guests. The area of Paphos Forest also includes the Cedar Valley (Cedrus brevifolia), a cedar species endemic to Cyprus. This is the most important habitat for the Bonelli’s Eagle in Cyprus, as the largest population of the species on the island is found here.

During the field visit, the guests had the opportunity to observe, apart from two Bonelli’s Eagle nests, forest fire prevention measures and infrastructure implemented in the area (firebreaks, fire shelters, closed roads, etc.) as well as forest recreation areas.