Young Cyprus Greens clean-up Akrotiri Bay, Limassol

As part of an extensive campaign to clean-up the Mediterranean Sea (‘Clean Up the Med’) introduced by the Italian environmental organization LEGAMBIENTE, the Young Cyprus Greens, in cooperation with the Ecological Movement, continue their beach cleaning efforts. On Saturday, July 27, a clean-up campaign was carried-out in the until recently fenced-off area of Lady's Mile, Akrotiri Bay, Limassol, in the presence of the Commissioner of Environment, Ms Ioanna Panayiotou.

The southernmost part of the beach at Lady's Mile, of an approximate stretch of 600 meters, had been fenced-off for the past 30 years. This site contains excellent examples of rare habitats that host equally rare species. One of the most important elements of the area is the nesting activity taking place within the fenced-off area by turtles which had seized to nest on the rest of the Lady's Mile beach many decades ago as a consequence of this stretch being at the mercy of human brutality. The fenced-off area is also very important for the sand crab, the sand lizard and many plants listed in the Red Data Book of the Flora of Cyprus.
According to the Secretary General of the Young Cyprus Greens, Ms Alexia Sakadaki, "the region remains pure and retains its natural beauty just because it was not accessible to the human factor. For the first time, instead of condoms, syringes and broken bottles, we found shells, sand crabs and rare vegetation. The litter that had to be removed was mainly washed ashore. We hope the opening of the beach does not lead to its destruction.”

The event was held with the support of OPAP Cyprus, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and the Cyprus Youth Board.