“Nicosia is Calling…” is part of the Multiperspectivity in Intercultural Dialogue and Education (MIDE) project, a two-year research and education effort sponsored by the USAID-funded UNDP Action for Cooperation and Trust (ACT) program

Brought together by a shared commitment to the island’s rich, and often rare, flora and fauna, a team of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot scientists have published the first ever bibliography of conservation research and developed an online database (http://www.cyef.net) to serve as the foundation for an island-wide network of nature conservation organizations. Within the overall framework of the Cyprus Environmental Stakeholders Forum (CESF)--a bicommunal platform for environmental advocacy--these activities are supported by the USAID-funded UNDP Action for Cooperation and Trust (ACT) program. They represent a concerted and meticulous effort to catalogue the resources available to all environmental stakeholders, especially those acting as the needed catalyst for change on a divided island with a fragile yet biologically diverse ecosystem.

Like in other conflict zones, science has long since provided a common language for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots committed to studying and protecting the island’s natural resources, including its biodiversity, for future generations. The Bibliographic Index on Flora, Fauna, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation in Cyprus and the database from which it was produced are a laudable first attempt to collect citations of published papers, books, reports, theses, book chapters, articles, newsletters, bulletins and periodicals that document, analyze or otherwise address the natural habitats on Cyprus and in the waters surrounding it. “It is hoped that this publication can be not only an invaluable scientific resource, but an inspiration to academics around the world who believe science has no boundaries”, says UNDP ACT Program Analyst Nicolas Jarraud in the book’s preface.

Compiled by Iris Charalambidou and Salih Gucel, the Index was co-sponsored by the Unit of Environmental Studies of the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs who collaborated with the Environmental Sciences Institute, the Turkish-Cypriot Biologists Association and the Green Action Group. Together, these organizations also organized a bicommunal discussion on the topic “Environmental Challenges for Civil Society in a United Cyprus” that brought together over seventy experts at the J.W. Fulbright Center in the Buffer Zone in Nicosia on October 13, 2009.

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