Chasing Ghosts:Managing abandoned fishing gear in SBA Akrotiri, Cyprus

Project Title: Chasing Ghosts: Managing abandoned fishing gear in SBA Akrotiri, Cyprus

AimTo produce the indispensable information for the management of this pervasive type of litter in the Jubilee Shoals protecting thus, the remarkable biodiversity and habitats of the shoals.

Goals:

-To use an evidence-based tool for the management of the ghost nets that pose a threat to the biodiversity and health status of EU Priority Habitats in the shoals

-To assess the associated biodiversity to the abandoned fishing gear

-To create a database of the biodiversity associated to the nets 

-To remove selected ghost nets with the implementation of a “Removal Index”

-To promote awareness and engagement of stakeholders to support conservation actions to mitigate the human footprint on the shoals

-To contribute to capacity building by the training and education of students and other participants in the project

Duration: April 2024- March 2025

Location: Cyprus, Western Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri

Funded by: the UK Government through Darwin Plus Local Project Reference: DPL00082

Coordinating partner: Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre

Direct collaborator: SBA Environmental Education Centre