COLLATERAL IMPACTS OF TRAPPING ON TOURISM AND PROPOSALS TO OVERCOME THEM

Report byCostas Orountiotis, Environmental EngineerPanayiota Koutsofta, Environmental Studies

Artemis Yiordamli, Geographer-Lawyer

July 2011

Source: Κουρτελλαρίδης Λ., Τα πουλιά που φωλιάζουν στην Κύπρο, 1997

Bird migration map

Well over 300 bird species use Cyprus as a rest-stop on their

migratory route.

Source: Bird Holidays: Cranes on Öland

Source: Cyprus killing Europe’s songbirds for a snack

Nets and limesticks are illegal, non-selective bird trapping methods.

In 2010 BirdLife Cyprus estimated that 1.700.000 birds were illegally trapped and killed, many of which were not ambelopoulia (black caps). They included many endangered and protected species. And they were not even edible. FoE found over 100 species in this ‘by-catch’.

Otus scops cyprius (γκιώνης)S. Christodoulidis (Σ. Χριστοδουλίδης)

Such actionsimpact worldwide biodiversity

and break EU and International law!

…but that is not what we wish to talk about now...

source: Thomas Hadjikyriakou

We shall talk about everyone’s most pressing obsession

£€

$

If some people wish to eat ‘ambelopoulia,’ does it affect your wallet and mine?

If you live in Cyprus and your livelihood depends on tourism, and especially if you are: • a hotel owner• restaurant owner• a hotel / restaurant employee• a shop keeper• a builder of holiday homes• a tourist agent / travel agent• a tourist guide• a taxi driver

... then bird trapping affects YOU!YOU!

Citizens from the European countries which provide our tourists have a different attitude to birds…

www.noitikiantistasis.com

www.dailymail.co.uk

www.brilliantstudent.com

Cypriot

Others

Cyprus is among that privileged group of countries visited by migratory birds

We have a choice:

Scenario A:We exploit the millions of migrant visitors by killing them and eating them as a delicacy!

orScenario B:We utilise the opportunityopportunity provided by the millions of migrant visitors to attract attract touriststourists and promote a positive image positive image of Cyprus.

Scenario A will lead to…

• Intensification of activist protests

• Embarrassment in international media

• Immediate electronic coverage of all negative incidents

• Tourist boycott of Cyprus by bird groups and sensitised individuals

• Reactions in foreign parliaments

Bird slaughter makes sensational news.

As long as it goes on, there will be economic repercussions for Cyprus.

Terra Cypria has tried to measure these economic repercussions:

are they worth considering?are they serious?

Who profits from illegal bird trapping?

BirdLife’s 2010 provisional estimate: 1 700 000 birds killed

There are no statistics for the numbers of different species that are trapped…

…so let’s estimate that only 1 000 000 of these birds are edible

Since ‘ambellopoulia’ cost €60 per dozen, or €5 per bird:

€€5.000.000 goes to trappers and restauranteurs5.000.000 goes to trappers and restauranteurs

Meanwhile, what has Cyprus lost?

Those tourists who decided not to visit Those tourists who decided not to visit Cyprus, because of our behaviour Cyprus, because of our behaviour towards migratory birds. towards migratory birds.

Can we count how many made such a decision?

We used the number of people who sent negative electronic comments to Cypriot Government Ministers in autumn 2010

Committee Against Bird Slaughter Campaign:5200 responses by December 2010

Cost calculations based on data from the Cyprus Tou rism Organisation (CTO)

5200 complainants x 75% = 3900 from tourist originating countries

Assume 50% traveling with partners = 1950 partners

5850 people who will not come to Cyprus 5850 people who will not come to Cyprus

Say 5900 people x €70/day (average per CTO) x 10 days (average per CTO) =

€€4 4 095095 000000lost income from people who complained

According to CTO, for every person that makes a written complaint there are 25 others who feel the same way. They do not bother to complain formally, but stay away in protest.

€ 4.095.000 x 10 = € 40.950.000

Whereas if we use CTO’s multiplier of 25 “silent protesters’’, then the annual unrealized income is …

€ 4.095.000 x 25 = €€ 102.375.000!102.375.000!

So for €5.000.000 of domestically generated income we may lose between €40-100 m. as unrealized income from overseas.

Conclusion 1 : As long as there is a demand for ambelopoulia, illegal supply will continue

Conclusion 2 : As long as there is tolerance towards illegal bird trapping, activists’demonstrations will continue and intensify, harming our island’s image.

Conclusion 3 : Consequences are not only legal and environmental, they also directly affect our pockets

Conclusion 4 : Other than lost revenue because of our behaviour towards birds, we also lose unrealised income because we cannot promote Cyprus as a bird-watching centre

Conclusion 5: We must change our attitudes! Move from the current Scenario A to Scenario B

Deeply rooted cultural attitudes will not change simply because of criminalization and punishment. They change when political leaders and cultural icons lead by example towards a new direction.

Πηγή:www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__Dq5_ABpFrs/TMTHd4HExmI/AAAAAAAAN0o/19wxA-ghFic/s1600/Bornean%2BBird%2BFestival_Sepilok

In Cyprus our most vocal politicians express outrage about “citizens’ rights”

A typical news title:- “Police invade restaurant and terrorize

customers”

It could easily have appeared as:- “Following numerous warnings, police raided

a restaurant and cautioned 40 customers eating illegally trapped ambelopoulia”.

As things are, the police have become the ‘bad guys’ simply by trying to implement the law to protect birds. Poachers, and the gluttons who eat the birds, have become the ‘victims’.

Scenario B : Utilizing the opportunities offered by the migrat ory birds

• Birdwatching was reported as the second fastest developing hobby in Europe, and the first in the USA.

• In the USA 61 million people, about 21% of the residents there, are engaged in birdwatching (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and the most recommended European destination birding is the island of Lesvos (internal research)

• Since birdwatching trips are organized during the Spring & Autumn migratory periods, which are not peak tourist seasons, this would increase tourist income.

We suggest:

(a) Public statements and messages from the President of the Republic, his Ministers and the Hunters’ Federation condemning the illegal trapping and consuming ofambelopoulia.

(b) CTO consultations with its tourist partners in the private sector (hoteliers, travel agents). They should do not remain indifferent to the consequences of the bird slaughter.

(c) Create a non-governmental platform to develop and implement best practices that will sensitize mass media, citizens and private business on migratory birds issues, culminating in establishing a Cyprus Bird Fair to celebrate and publicise migratory birds.

Lake Manias, TurkeyΠηγή: www.flickr.com

Akrotiri Lake, CyprusSource: http://el.wikipedia.org/wik

We’re talking serious money

The theoretical annual revenue from birdwatcher visits at KuşcennetiNational Park (Ramsar area) in Turkey, was calculated at €76,770,000 (Gurluk,S.,Rehber,E. 2008)

Cyprus is privileged with three main poles of attraction for migratory birds: Akrotiri (Ramsar site), Larnaca Salt Lake (Ramsar site), Cavo Greco coast line

Why are we not utilizing this priviledge?

Akrotiri WetlandPhoto: Thomas Hadjikyriakou

Larnaca Salt LakePhoto: Lefteris Kalavasos

Cavo Greco FamagustaPhoto: Alexandros Daskalakis (Αλέξανδρος∆ασκαλάκης)

Ordinary Cypriots should realise what they are losing financially. They must react against bird trapping.

According to the law of supply and demand, once demand has been minimized, trapping will no longer offer big financial rewards.

Government officials, political parties, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, the tourist industry, the Hunting Federation and the mass media have a most important role to play.

Thank you for listening!!!

www.tex.unipi.gr