Improving the conservation status of the priority habitat types *1520 and *5220 at the Rizoelia National Forest Park - Nature Conservation Unit

Project's Main Objective: The primary aim of this project is to promote and enable the long term conservation of  arborescent matorral with Zyziphus (*5220) and gypsum steppes (*1520) in Cyprus. The specific objectives of the project are:
- To contribute to the consolidation and dissemination of a knowledge base for the protection, restoration, monitoring and evaluation of these two priority habitats.
- To understand, quantify and halt natural and anthropogenic threats that contribute to the long term degradation of these habitats.
- To design and implement actions for the protection and long term restoration of arborescent matorral with Zyziphus (*5220) and gypsum steppes (*1520).
- To provide support for better environmental governance in Natura 2000 sites through stakeholder involvement and training.
The expected results will be the establishment and the communication of a knowledge base on:
- The plant communities composition and structure of priority habitat *1520
- The effect of anthropogenic threats on both priority habitats' (*5220 and 1520) ecological conditions
- Effective participation and governance methods for habitat conservation
- Effective monitoring and conservation methods through the elaboration of habitat protection and restoration guidelines and monitoring protocols.

More information is available at the project's website.