In recent years, several species of trees of the genus Ficus (Morales: Moraceae) have been introduced in various regions of the Mediterranean as ornamentals. Cyprus is a typical example of these regions, with species such as Ficus microcarpa, F. benjamina, and F. elastica. These species can be seen in parks, house yards, roadsides, and near the sea. These plants are associated with a range of insects, many of which have been unintentionally introduced to Cyprus.

Species introduced outside their natural range are considered as non-native or alien. A portion of these species tends to become invasive that is, harmful towards the environment, society, human health and the economy. Biological invasions are considered to be a crucial ecological problem around the world and have been pointed out as one of the main causes of global biodiversity loss.

We are delighted to be sharing our Darwin Initiative project pollinator monitoring scheme (mini-PoMS-Ký), adapted for Cyprus for school children by Marc Botham with help from Andri Varnava, Elli Tzirkalli, Joanna Angelidou, Marios Philippou, Sophie Kamenou, Kelly Martinou and Koula Michail.

The Environmental Group invited Dr Kelly Martinou for a meeting at the Akrotiri Environmental Centre on 29th May 2019. Kelly is the Head Entomologist at the Joint Services Health Unit (JSHU), British Forces Cyprus based in Akrotiri who specializes in “alien” invasive species and mosquitoes in particular.

Jodey Peyton, Project Manager for the RIS-Ký Project, funded by Darwin Plus, was invited to present the outputs of the RIS-Ký project at a recent working group meeting of the COST ActionAlien CSI (CA17122), hosted at the Akrotiri Environmental Education Centre in Cyprus.

Some of the initial results of the fish component of the Defra Darwin Initiative Plus RIS-Ký project were recently presented by Dr Ian J. Winfield at the 8th Annual Institute of Fisheries Management Specialist Conference on ‘Fisheries Management in Estuarine and Coastal Waters’ at Lancaster University, UK, 23 to 24 May 2018.

Biological recording is vital for vital for the conservation of plants, animals, and other wildlife, and involves mostly volunteers making ‘what, where, when’ records of the wildlife they find. These records are essential for increasing our understanding of the environment, including issues such as climate change and habitat destruction.

 Management and Control of Native and Non-Native vectors in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (EMME) – 18 to 20 Apr 18.

At the second meeting of the C3A Environmental Group on 4 December, we were treated to two fascinating presentations on very contrasting insects - mosquitoes and butterflies.

Invasive alien species are the alien or non-native species that have been introduced by humans either accidentally or deliberately and negatively impact biodiversity, economies or society (including ecosystem services and human health). Spotting invasive alien species locally and assessing their multiple impacts is of immense importance, particularly for prioritising management approaches.

Read our blog if you want to join in and learn more about what you can do to help!