From Boreal to Mediterranean – are we similar enough to collaborate?

29 November 2024 ,By Anete Pošiva-Bunkovska

Coming to Cyprus from northern Europe is a great delight for anyone interested in biodiversity – so many rare and endemic species, so much to learn about unfamiliar habitat types, so amusing to see our rarest species being common here and vice versa, so many new landscapes to explore! But, being from different biogeographic regions, are there any similarities, any common ground to collaborate, or are we so different that experience of outside experts is not applicable?

On the first look, Mediterranean nature looks very different from other European biomes – dealing with high temperatures and water scarcity during summer, having winter rains and productive vegetation period very early in spring, vegetation dominated by shrublands and sclerophyllous plants; it all differs much from my native Boreal region where rain is abundant, winters cold and landscape is dominated by coniferous and deciduous forests mixed with fields and summer-green grasslands. But looking at principal natural and anthropogenic forces that shape landscapes and biodiversity, they overlap in rather many cases.

Fire and post-fire succession as a driver of shrub and forest landscapes, groundwater-dependent terrestrial ecosystems, riparian habitats, formation of specific ecosystems in beaches, high natural value farming and landscapes it has created – these are universally understood phenomena. And as soon as conversations about specific environmental protection issues started, it was clear that many of them are really common as they stem from universal human nature, most notably putting short-term and individual interests above long-term and community interests in protecting nature and ecosystems that provide livelihoods for us and for generations to come.

Two landscapes and their biodiversity stood out to me in the first visit – Kyrenia mountain range with its forests and shrublands, and hilly agricultural areas of Ayia Irini/Akdeniz special environment protection area. Kyrenia mountains displayed interaction of natural shrub habitats formed by steep terrain and weather, combined with forests that are affected by post-fire planting efforts, grazing by goats and outbreaks by Pine Processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa). Defoliated pine stands remind of dead spruce stands in Central and Northern Europe where European Spruce Bark Beetle (Ips typographus) has damaged vast areas, with spruce monocultures being the most impacted due to uniform stand age. Forest planting practices geared towards ease of management and harvesting of timber are one of amplifiers of natural pest outbreaks, yet they continue in many countries as it’s hard to change ways of management that have been used and taught by generations of forest managers, despite facing rapid climate change and seeing its impact in various aspects of natural resource management.

High natural value farming practices, on the other hand, are a lesson from previous generations that can be used to preserve ecosystems, their services and a high degree of biodiversity. In terraced barley fields in Ayia Irini/Akdeniz protected area, I had an honour to see first blooms of endemic Cyprus tulip (Tulipa cypria) which is adapted to grow in cultivated fields and their edges, if just the timing of harvest and ploughing is right. Edges between fields were full of blooming orchids, including endemic Cyprus bee orchid Ophrys kotschyi subsp. kotschyi, and of birds. Olive trees dotted the landscape, the most impressive being Monumental Olive Grove with trees exceeding 500 years of age (and still being harvested and managed in the most productive way, by planting other cultures between trees).

Such landscapes and management practices should be encouraged and supported both financially and socially, as they preserve co-existence of nature and culture, and can provide both food for local communities (and other markets) and recreation opportunities for those who don’t want to climb rocky mountain paths or spend all day on a beach. In the competitive market of producing cheaper and cheaper food, small-scale farming in challenging landscapes can’t win, but it can be supported to find its niche markets and persevere.

Therefore, since the overarching aim is to reduce our society’s environmental impact, then in order to promote circularity of resources and maximise its potential, we must find ways to turn the Cyprus’ challenges into opportunities through collaboration. The environmental problems we face are not contained within geographical regions; crossings do not help stop the impacts of environmental problems on our health and well-being. They have impacts island wide.

Anete Pošiva-Bunkovska

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The content of this blog is the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

From Boreal to Mediterranean – are we similar enough to collaborate?

Anete Pošiva-Bunkovska

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