ARC - ΚΙΒΟΤΟΣ Education – Wildlife Heritage Επιμόρφωση – Φυσική...

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ARC - ΚΙΒΟΤΟΣ Education – Wildlife Heritage Επιμόρφωση – Φυσική κληρονομιά – Άγρια ζωή Patricia Radnor Kyriacou www.animalscyprus.org [email protected]

Transcript of ARC - ΚΙΒΟΤΟΣ Education – Wildlife Heritage Επιμόρφωση – Φυσική...

ARC - ΚΙΒΟΤΟΣ

Education – Wildlife HeritageΕπιμόρφωση – Φυσική κληρονομιά – Άγρια ζωή

Patricia Radnor Kyriacou

www.animalscyprus.org –[email protected]

About us

• Founded in 1994

• Volunteer NGO

Cyprus – A maritime nation

Our successes

• Dolphinarium closed 1999

• Cyprus is one of the few captive dolphin-free countries

(Permanent government ban on captive dolphin imports)

Another success• Two brown

bears captive for 14 years in Limassol zoo rescued and flown to Hungary

• Free in a Hungarian refuge

Captive animals have no place in modern ecotourism

• Three leopards will travel to Africa in May• Unlicensed zoo (EU Zoos Directive 22/1999) will be

closed down• Europe's first Ecozoo?

Cyprus – an established tourist destination

• Mass tourism – “Sun and Sea”

• Luxury tourism

• Ecotourism/Agrotourism

Ecotourism

• Traditional restored mountain villages (Kalopanayiotis)

• Cyprus villages (Sun and Sea)

Cyprus has many endemic species

Endemic Glaucopsyche paphos (Paphos blue) feeding on endemic Anthemis tricolor

Cyprus – strategic position on bird migratory routes

• Turtles (Caretta caretta)• Seals (Monachus monachus)

• Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) -fruit bats

Wildlife of Cyprus

Cyprus is the only country EU member state to have fruit bats (Megachiroptera)

Fruit bat

Education

• Children are fascinated by bats

Stellaluna

Bats are fun!

Ecotourism and Bats• Austin, Texas, USA

Other Interesting Southern Mediterranean Bat Species

NETWORKING

• EUROBATS Secretariat International conference in Cyprus May 2009

At an ecotourism village and conference centre on the sea

Government authority (Department of Environment) on board

Maremotu

• Italian sea – kayaking organisation will come to Cyprus

• Travel round the coast

• Fruit bat sea-caves

• Recent sighting of Monachus monachus

• Children involved

A FRUIT BAT CAVE ROOST

Thank you !!Ευχαριστώ!!