Closing ceremony “BIOforLIFE”, Nicosia, 15/09/2015

In the framework of networking activities with other LIFE and non-LIFE projects, LIFE Natura2000 Value Crete participated at the Closing Ceremony of the LIFE11 INF/CY/000863 project: “BIOforLIFE - An Awareness Raising Campaign in Cyprus for appreciating biodiversity in our life” (http://www.cyprusbiodiversity.eu/), which took place on September 15 in Nicosia, Cyprus.

The scope of BIOforLIFE project, which was implemented during the period September 2012 to September 2015, was the development of a communication campaign with the aim of raising public awareness on the subject of biodiversity. The campaign aimed to make the concept of biodiversity and the need of preserving it better understood among the public in general, to raise the profile of Cyprus species and to communicate how biodiversity is associated with health, economy and our prosperity, since biodiversity and ecosystem services are important for a more sustainable economic model. Moreover, through the implementation of the campaign, an attempt was made to explain the consequences from agriculture, avifauna species and illegal bird trapping on biodiversity. Finally, during the implementation of the project, the pan-European effort to protect biodiversity through the network Natura 2000, as well as the benefits to economy, tourism and ecology were highlighted.

During the Closing Ceremony, the results and deliverables of the BIOforLIFE project presented in detail. The main issues were the following
• Objectives of the project, main actions and their effects.
• Presentation of the results of the research on public opinion that was elaborated during project’s implementation.
• Presentation of digital tools created for lay public use: BIOframe – Centralized digital imaging information tool for the Cyprus environment through overlapping with different maps (http://www.cyprusbiodiversity.eu/bioframe/), EnviroPack – Training Manual for biodiversity in Cyprus (http://www.cyprusbiodiversity.eu/enviropack.html).
• Αλλαγή απόψεων πολιτών Κύπρου από το έργο.

In a separate work meeting with the Coordinating Beneficiary of the project (Dias Publishing House Ltd.) on September 16, 2015 in Nicosia, the results and deliverables of the BIOforLIFE project were analysed, along with the finding of ways for continuing cooperation between the two LIFE projects, as well as the opportunities for the transfer of the experience and expertise gained in Cyprus in the LIFE project in Crete.