Sustainable Ecosystems - An online event for Active Cities - Green Cities
- Editorial Team
- May 11
- 4 min read
On 5 May 2026, the “Active Cities – Green Cities: Sustainable Ecosystems” international online event took place with the participation of more than 130 participants from all the partners of the project.
The event was organised in a hybrid format at the Akrotiri Environmental Education Centre (AEEC) in Limassol, Cyprus by the Panicos Hadjihambis Foundation and it was moderated by Dr Christina Ionela Neokleous.
The event opened with welcome remarks by Mr Andreas Neokleous, Board Member of the Panicos Hadjihambis Foundation. He underlined the mission of the Foundation to link development, education and culture and stressed the importance of Akrotiri as one of Cyprus’s most valuable wetland ecosystems and a fitting setting for discussing sustainable regeneration. A short video then presented AEEC’s work and the biodiversity of the Akrotiri Peninsula – wetlands, migratory birds such as flamingos and egrets, reptiles, small mammals and diverse flora – highlighting the Centre’s role in environmental education for schools and visiting groups.
Regeneration of Lady’s Mile Beach
The first keynote presentation, by Mr Nicos Nicolaides, former Mayor of Limassol, former Minister of Communications and Works and former Member of Parliament, focused on the regeneration of the Lady’s Mile beach area. He described Lady’s Mile as a five‑kilometre sandy coastal strip forming a continuous ecological corridor from the sea through dunes and salt marshes to the Akrotiri Salt Lake, an internationally important wetland for migratory birds and protected habitats.
He explained that rising recreational pressure, unregulated tourism, vehicle access on dunes, informal parking and insufficient infrastructure have led to habitat degradation, fragmentation and disturbance of nesting areas. “Doing nothing”, he argued, would allow further decline; instead, carefully designed, low‑impact interventions are needed to restore natural systems while organising human activity more sustainably.
The proposed regeneration strategy is built on ecosystem‑based management, low‑impact development, zoning between high‑use and protected areas, habitat restoration and continuous monitoring. Key measures include dune stabilisation and re‑vegetation, restricting vehicle access and creating boardwalks, improving the access road with permeable geocell materials rather than asphalt, strictly demarcating parking and restaurant zones, removing illegal structures and invasive plants, and adjusting lighting to reduce disturbance to wildlife. The project has completed environmental assessments and public consultations and is technically mature; Mr Nicolaides noted that it now awaits central government funding and called for sustained pressure to move it into implementation.
EU Nature Restoration Regulation in Cyprus
The second keynote presentation, by Mr Demetris Koutroukides, Environment Senior Officer at the Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, addressed the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and its implementation in Cyprus. He described it as the first EU‑wide legally binding framework for ecosystem restoration and a core element of the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The regulation responds to the fact that over 80% of EU habitats are in poor condition, weakening climate resilience and affecting food security, water quality and public health.
Mr Koutroukides set out the main EU targets: restoring at least 20% of EU land and sea that needs restoration by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050, with milestones for habitats in poor condition (30% by 2030, 60% by 2040, 90% by 2050). Member States must prepare National Restoration Plans in a common format, mapping degraded areas, defining restoration measures and indicators, and explaining financing and links with climate, agriculture and spatial planning policies.
In Cyprus, the Department of Environment coordinates the National Restoration Plan with the Departments of Fisheries, Forests, Agriculture, Water Development, Town Planning and the Game and Fauna Service. The plan will cover terrestrial, coastal, freshwater, marine, farmland and urban ecosystems, including key sites such as the Akrotiri Peninsula. He pointed to challenges such as data gaps, the need to balance restoration with economic uses, and limited monitoring capacity, and noted that implementation will rely on a combination of EU and national funding instruments. A draft national plan is expected by June 2026, with submission to the European Commission foreseen by September 2026, following stakeholder consultation.
Discussion and questions
A joint question‑and‑answer session followed, with contributions from in‑person and online participants. Questions addressed cooperation with the United Kingdom and the Sovereign Base Areas after Brexit and how environmental standards are coordinated in Akrotiri; Mr Nicolaides reported constructive cooperation with the Base authorities and shared objectives for habitat protection. Participants also asked whether Cyprus can genuinely balance tourism development with biodiversity protection and what role civil society can play; he stressed the need for robust regulation, active local and central government and stronger environmental culture and public pressure.
Other questions focused on the role of environmental education, including school visits to AEEC, and how knowledge about biodiversity and climate can be transmitted between generations. Participants raised climate impacts such as wildfires and urban heat, and Mr Koutroukides explained cooperation between the Environment Department and health authorities, while acknowledging the need for more ambitious urban greening and planning standards. There were also questions on how EU funding (LIFE, cohesion policy, CAP‑linked instruments) supports restoration and climate action in Cyprus, including in Akrotiri, and on the potential of artificial intelligence for monitoring and planning; the speakers underlined both the opportunities offered by EU finance and data‑driven tools and the need to strengthen their use.
Closing
In her closing remarks, Dr Christina Ionela Neokleous thanked the two speakers, AEEC as host, the Panicos Hadjihambis Foundation and its president Mrs Christalla Hadjihambi, and all participants from Cyprus and partner countries for their contributions. She recalled that the event was initially planned as a fully in‑person gathering and expressed the hope to welcome partners soon again to Cyprus for future project activities within Active Cities – Green Cities. The event concluded with an open invitation to continue cooperation on sustainable ecosystems, climate resilience and citizen participation at local, national and European level.
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