Saving Cyprus Turtles from Fishermen’s Nets

A pilot project is underway to protect turtles from being caught in fishermen’s nets, programme coordinator of the project for Cyprus Yianna Samuel said on Tuesday.

As part of a European initiative, ‘Life Euroturtles’, this summer a number of lights will be attached to net fisheries in the Latchi and Pyrgos area.

In 2016 a team of scientists at the University of Exeter discovered that attaching green Led lights to nets used by small-scale fishermen can reduce the number of green turtle deaths by 64 per cent as they avoid them.

The result, if it works as planned, will be a win-win situation.

“The turtles which are a bycatch will be saved, and the fisherman will have less damage to their nets, and the turtles will not eat the fish in the nets,” Samuel explained. “Turtles need to come up for air, so when they get entangled they usually die. And the fishermen won’t have to spend time trying to disentangle them and repair the nets.”

The cost of the project is not very high, as each lamp costs just €10 to €15 and for now, not a lot of them are needed. The lights used are small enough not to scare off sea life from whole areas, they can only see them close up.

The project is funded by the European Commission together with the fishery department of the government and the University of Cyprus’ oceanography centre as co-funding partners.

It includes six EU countries, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Slovenia.

The focus is on areas that are pivotal for the conservation of the two sea turtle species occurring in the EU and listed as priority species the Habitats Directive, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). In the EU, the loggerhead turtle has major nesting sites in Greece and Cyprus, and limited nesting in Italy. Most turtles from these sites remain in the eastern Mediterranean. In the EU, the green turtle only breeds in Cyprus, and its foraging grounds in EU waters are in Cyprus and Greece.

The activities of the Life Euroturtles project prioritise areas where conservation measures are considered important and urgent, and could make a difference for the sea turtle status at EU, national and local levels.

March 2017 tourist arrival records 2.8% increase in Cyprus

2016 was a Record year for Tourists arriving in Cyprus and already 2017 looks like it will beat last years record as well ! 

Tourist arrivals to Cyprus on an annual basis recorded an increase of 2.8% in March 2017 compared with the same month last year, the Cyprus Statistical service reported on Tuesday.

An increase of 13.5% was also noted in the first quarter of the year the statistical service said. 

At the same time, more Cypriot residents travelled abroad, with returning residents recording an annual increase in March 2017 of 19.2%.

This factor is due to the large increase of Budget Flight Airlines that have added many more flights to and from Cyprus , plus the fact of continued troubles in the once popular holiday destinations of Egypt and Turkey. 

On the basis of the results of the Passengers Survey, tourist arrivals were 140,873 in March 2017 compared to 137,013 in March 2016, recording an increase of 2.8%.

This March has seen the highest volume of tourist arrivals ever recorded in Cyprus during this month.

For the period January-March 2017 arrivals of tourists totalled 285,693 compared to 251,608 in the same period of 2016, recording an increase of 13.5%

According to the Statistical Service’s press release tourist arrivals from Russia increased by 55.1% in March 2017 compared to March 2016 while an increase of 10.7% was recorded for tourists from Greece.

Important tourist markets

More tourists also chose Cyprus as a destination this March from other important tourist markets, such as Israel (94.9%) and France (15.9%).

The United Kingdom and Russia constitute the main sources of tourism for Cyprus for March 2017, holding a share of 38.7% and 14.1% respectively, while arrivals from Greece comprise 9.6% and from Israel 7.1% of total arrivals.

On the basis of the results of the Passengers Survey, 102,758 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in March 2017 compared to 86,229 in the corresponding month last year, recording an increase of 19.2%.

In March 2017 there was an increase of 22.4% in the trips of residents to Greece up from 31,570 in March 2016 to 38,638 in March 2017 and 22.3% increase from the United Kingdom up from 16,940 to 20,726 this year.

Source: CNA

EASTER CUSTOMS OF CYPRUS

Pascha, the Majestic Feast in the Heart of Spring “and so shall bloom the spring of faith” in our hearts

Pascha, the most luminous feast of Christianity and the greatest feast of Hellenism and the people of Cyprus, who call it, “Lambri”, “the Bright One” since it shines with the light of 
Resurrection that bathes life and all its facets: morals, customs and tradition. As the Services of Holy Week coincide with Spring, the divine Passions seem to relate to the passions and resurrection of Nature and man. It is, after all, the time to bid farewell to the long and absolute silence of Nature, to the agonising period of gestation in anticipation of welcoming the fruits, the flowers: of orange, pomegranate, rose, yarrow, lilly and the colours. 
Everything predisposes the great triumph of life, renewed life, the redemption of the living, the Resurrection of the dead as descriped in the triumphant Paschal hymn:

Top ten things to do in Cyprus

1. Hamam Omerye

Hamam Omerye, in the Old City of Nicosia, is a Turkish bath originally built in 1570. Its architecture is stunning with a luxurious Ottoman-inspired design. Facilities include a hot and cold room, as well as a range of massages, body scrubs and treatments.

2 Avakas Gorge

Located on the western tip of the Akamas Peninsula, this impressive gorge is approximately 18 kilometres from Paphos and is one of the few accessible gorges in Cyprus. The trail leading through the gorge is roughly 2½ kilometres long with sheer rocks on both sides reaching up to 260 feet in height, the narrowest point being 10 feet wide.

3. Fikardou Village

Fikardou village is located 40 kilometres southwest of Lefkosia, on the eastern slopes of the Troodos mountain range. The village was declared an Ancient Monument in 1978 by the department of antiquities, and won the Europa Nostra award in 1987. Now almost deserted, the village has been carefully restored to preserve the 18th century houses and two have been turned into museums.

4. The Tombs of the Kings

This Unesco World Heritage Site consists of an area of well-preserved underground tombs and chambers used by residents of Nea Pafos during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. Located 2km north of Kato Pafos, the tombs are unique in Cyprus, being heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian tradition.

Simila Cyprus Holiday Rental Villas have this excellent 3 bedroom Villa with Private Pool available for Summer Holidays in Secret Valley , by Aphrodite Hills Golf Resort.
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Villa Aphrodita : www.Simila-Cyprus.com

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3 , 4 , 5 and 6 bedroom Villas with private pools.
We also have expanded the business to include a fleet of Hire Rental Cars , with 7 seater People carriers and dedicated website ; www.PafosRentaCar.com

Did you know that when you rent a car, if it is damaged or stolen you could be left paying the bill?

Many car hire rental agreements do give an option for a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), or Excess Waiver, but usually you will still be liable for the excess the rental company has to pay to their car insurance company, even if it’s not your fault, which could be more than £2,000….. And often buying this cover from the car hire company can be very expensive!

Sometimes you have the option for a Super Collision Damage Waiver (Super CDW) that may also remove the excess. We have teamed up with Voyager Insurance to offer a more extensive alternative to Super CDW – a car rental insurance to complement our Europesure products.

For 2017, we are offering to British and EU residents ‘Deluxe’ Car Rental Insurance. It not only covers the excess charged by car hire companies on a rental car agreement if your hire car is damaged or stolen, but also some cover not normally available under a car rental company policy.

*** Only € 8 euros per day ***

Deluxe Car Rental Insurance For British & EU Residents Includes:

  £5,000 EU Excess Reimbursement (£50,000 Worldwide)
      (includes windscreen, roof, tyres & under body damage)
  £500 Key cover
  £500 Misfuelling cover
  £1,000 Car Jacking Cover
  £10,000 Personal Accident
  £300 Personal Possessions
  £100 Lock Out
  £30/£300 Curtailment of Rental (per day/per agreement)
  EU & Worldwide Car Rental Cover Available
  Home Country Cover Included

  And More…

Contact us at Simila Cyprus Pafos-Rent-a-Car for a quotation.

Website ; http://www.simila-cyprus.com/car-hire-rentals/

Mobile App ; www.PafosRentaCar.com 

Email ; 

info@simila-cyprus.com 

reservation@PafosRentaCar.com