http://in-cyprus.com/preserving-wild-cyprus/
Preserving ‘Wild Cyprus’
A local NGO dedicated to protecting the island’s natural heritage has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a groundbreaking documentary.
Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus hopes to raise ₤50,000 (€64,388) by February 9 to cover the expenses of creating a full-length documentary entitled ‘Wild Cyprus’. The innovative measure is a major part of its efforts to raise awareness and preserve and protect the country’s natural environment.
‘Wild Cyprus’ will be 90 minutes long and the film will cover all living creatures in Cyprus today, including birds, mammals, plants, fungi, reptiles, snails, and insects. The NGO’s aim is to produce a documentary, the first of its kind in Cyprus, which will educate people – especially the younger generations – about the island’s rich biodiversity and try to prevent the further destruction of habitats.
Filming will require the team to travel to some of the remotest areas of Cyprus and dedicate many months to the documentary’s creation.
“The film will bring into focus the natural attributes of the island, the present risks – small fragile habitats, human infringement, habitat loss and extinction – and the future action needed to safeguard and protect nature for the future,” the NGO says on its Kickstarter page.
The team will work throughout the year to film all the seasons and phases of living nature, including, for example, the spring and autumn bird migration waves.
“Some birds show up in small numbers and are very rare indeed. Another such example is carefully filming without disturbance the nocturnal egg-laying of Mediterranean turtles. Once these challenges are overcome, through hard work and perseverance, we do not foresee any problems,” the NGO notes in its statement.
“We are looking for your support for filming equipment and consumables, editing specialists, travelling expenses over a period of two years. Without your support we will not be able to complete this filming work and a lot of important natural history information will be lost forever,” the NGO notes.
Although members have also already committed to volunteering their time and expertise to the effort, a representative of the group told The Cyprus Weekly, the funds raised will also help pay for further expert assistance.
All of the money raised will be directed towards the needs of filming, accessing difficult locations, gaining access to rare specimens and finally putting together a film for the public, the NGO says.
The representative said the Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus hopes the film will help the people of Cyprus better understand the value of our natural environment and contribute to efforts to protect it.
His sentiments were echoed in the NGO’s statement on the documentary’s Kickstarter webpage.
“Human infringement on habitats, climate change and other uncontrollable factors pose a daily threat to this natural heritage.
“The natural heritage of Cyprus does not get the attention and appreciation it deserves by the people of Cyprus. For example, 40,000 hunters kill protected birds and rare reptiles for sport – without ever being punished. The reason is the lack of environmental education,” the NGO says.
Nature must be safeguarded and studied for future generations.
“We need funds to produce a biodiversity documentary to make the natural history of Cyprus known to the people of Cyprus and the world at large,” the NGO adds.
Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus also says the country should be proud of its natural wonders providing examples of this rich heritage including the Troodos ophiolite deposit where the deep sea volcanic processes of oceanic plate margins can be seen on land’s surface.
Other highlights mentioned by the NGO include Cyprus being the location of the most recent new mammal species in Europe, Mus cypriacus, a mouse whose uniqueness was confirmed in 2010.
The island also boasts a broad range of Mediterranean endemic species of plants, reptiles, insects and more, Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus said.
In addition, according to the NGO, the remains of a new species of a yet unnamed Ice Age elephant have been found here.
Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus is a registered non-profit making NGO, active in the area of research and of recording Cypriot biodiversity and nature.
“Our work todate includes public exhibitions of natural history specimens and photographs, nature documentaries including one on Akamas (NATURA site) biodiversity, creation of photographic/video database for Cypriot nature and lectures and presentations to promote public education and awareness on matters of evolution, biodiversity and ecology,” Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus says.
“We are a group of dedicated individuals who have a passion for what we do. Our love for nature is part of our daily life and our only priority at this point,” the NGO adds in its statement.
You can find out more about the group on Facebook by searching for ‘Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus’.
Their Facebook site also features a four-minute trailer for the documentary to showcase the quality of their work, whilst pointing viewers to the Kickstarter campaign.
Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/108816660/wild-cyprus to find out more and make a contribution to the effort.
(All the photos on this page were taken by Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus member George Constantinou)
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