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

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

Aim: To 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