Campaign: Fishes of Oroklini Lake, Cyprus

March 1st 2013 

With Cypriot friends Athena and Iakovos and guided by Melpo Apostolidou from BirdLife Cyprus we explored Oroklini Lake. It is a soon-to-be famous wetland area located near Larnaka. This was our first ever wet-season ichthyological sampling here using a fry-net seine (everybody should have a fry-net with them anywhere they go...). Water levels were surprisingly high and the water that entered the lake from the upstream riverlet smelled rather bad. However the first site we sampled (near "The Sluice") is full of invert life - but no fish. The lake has a huge population of Gambusia Mosquito Fish but they are probably widely dispersed all around at this time (densities are low at high-water levels during winter here). Near the main "East Canal" outflow by the beach we tried in vain to catch elvers (young eels) - no luck. We did spot some rather large grey-mullets (but we need a fish-trap to catch those...). We did catch Mosquito Fish here and then again more at the second canal ("West Canal"). No eels this time; but, the birding was fantastic. It was a great afternoon out. 

For more info on the restoration and conservation work being done at Oroklini please see: http://www.orokliniproject.org

Melpo Apostolidou works at one of the most important NGOs for nature conservation on Cyprus BirdLife Cyprus - a group all Cyprus-lovers should support! Have a look at their new site: http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/en

Eurasian Teal (Sarseli)

Spanish Sparrow (Arkostrouthos)

The Lake from the upland behind.

Melpo at The Sluice.

Water levels very high near sluice.

Near fist sampling site adjacent to the sluice.

 Dragging the net carefully (ph. Melpo A.).

Despite repeated nettings - not a single fish (ph. Melpo A.)..

Black-winged Stilts (Kalamokanas)

Stream entrance to the lake.

Walking back to the jeep.

East Canal, the main drainage canal on the beach.

East Canal, flow to the sea.

Elvers sometimes hide in culverts (photo: Melpo A.).

East Canal flow to the sea - there is flow this year.

Stream entering the Lake near highway; water smelly.

West Canal river mouth with flow to sea.

 Fry-netting in the West Canal (ph. Melpo A.).

No life- could someone have poisoned the water? 

West Canal with reedbed - great Eel habitat.

Iakovos searching at The Sluice.

Athena and Melpo at West Canal - very dirty water... 

Walking to the first sampling site.

Chest-waders are not enough!

Iakovos balancing on slippery mud.

Searching the fry-net for tiny-tiny fishes.

West Canal, inland of coast road.

Iakovos spotted some really large grey-mullets.

Mosquito Fish - two males.

 West Canal Fry-netting (Ph. Melpo A.).

The water was much deeper than in July 2012 when we last did this.

Searching the fry-net at West Canal.

Washing the net in the sea at the end of the day (ph. Melpo A.).

Thanks team! 

Campaign: Paralimni Lake, Amochostos Cyprus

March 1st 2013

Paralimni Lake in Southeast Cyprus. A truly unique wetland area that I first visited in 2009. It was then totally dry - and had been nearly totally dry for many years. I could not imagine it in anyway being a flooded "lake". In fact, I learned reading a book on Paralimni - that many older maps never showed this huge ephemeral wetland at all - and that's surprising (perhaps it was always a nearly ephemeral vernal-like waterbody - really unique....). This year the "Lake" is full of shallow water and full of life. Biologist Athena Papatheodoulou of Terra Cypria and Biodiversity East and our friend Iakovos Tziortzis of Enalia Physis who lives near Paralimni guided me to this spring wonderland. 

Today Lake Paralimni looked to me like one gigantic Mediterranean Temporary Pond! We found several hundred dead Tadpole Shrimp, the famous living-fossil  (looks like Triops cancriformis). I don't know any reference to this scarce species on Cyprus - so its seemed like a great discovery for us! This is the first time I see Triops - these amazing crustaceans look like horseshoe crabs or trilobites - they are out-of-this-world!!! The specimens we found were huge: more than seven centimeters from head-tip to tail-tip!!!

 Paralimni Lake is one of Cyprus' most threatened wetlands and some locals are eager to help stop its degradation. One of the major causes of  the people-wetland conflict here are the mosquitoes. People have a long-time phobia of the mosquitoes and the city of Paralimni and the surrounding villages are all built right on the lake's shores. Unfortunately it is not just the lake that produces all the mosquitoes - thousands of tons of garbage and construction-site debris litter the lake shore and here in the tiny water-spots Anopheles and other bloodsuckers breed freely! In the lake, the mosquito fish, dragonflies, amphibians and birds are part of the rich food-web that keeps insect populations under control. So the key is to manage the wetland, clean-up the mess on the lake's outskirts and inform the public. If the public respects and identifies with the wetland it may be protected. Locals should know that during some 'wet-years' mosquitoes will be a real nuisance. Spring 2013 is a wet year at Paralimni! Since malaria is long-gone - people should not worry so much. However, a mosquito management plan must take wetland biodiversity conservation into consideration. And the Lake's biodiveristy and its serene beauty are worth all the fuss!!!

Environmentalism on Cyprus could become much much stronger if we unite and organize smart proposals and campaigns that bring together research, policy, development, recreation and education. Good local scientists are key-players in this super-integration for conservation. For example, our friend Iakovos Tziortzis belongs the the NGO ENALIA PHYSIS - have a look: http://enaliaphysis.org.cy.  Athena Papaethodoulou works for years now at another good Cypriot NGO Terra Cypria - have a look: http://www.conservation.org.cy/. Keep-up nature-centered environmentalism on Cyprus!

UPDATE DEC 2014: Limnetica Tabpole Shrimp in Cyprus

Meeting: River habitat workshop in Cyprus

Some workshop key-players: Roberta, David, Andrea, Margarita, Nikos, Kostas, Charles, Gerald and Stam.

 February 28th 2013

In Lefkosia, Cyprus, at the well organized workshop developed by an Italian EU Life Project headed by Andrea Buffagni (CNR-IRSA).  The Water Development Department (WDD) of Cyprus hosted the event. Obviously such a happening is relevant to progress towards the application of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) on Cyprus. A total of nine technical presentations including work by the Italians, our team from HCMR Greece, and by local Cypriots. Andrea Buffagni and David Armanini showed us some cutting-edge developments that definitely affect policy-relevant river management and conservation in the Mediterranean. It was very kind of the Italians to choose Cyprus as the venue for this excellent technical workshop. Apart from the Italian river research shown, a lot of former work that was presented here has been supported through several contracts with the WDD.  We all learned a lot. The participation from the patient and engrossed audience was stimulating. After the workshop we continued discussion at the Fanous Lebanese Restaurant in the old city. I strongly believe the Cyprus Government should continue to support river research and applications - much of which has produced pioneering work for Mediterranean Europe! Cyprus really could become a great demonstration of "river management best-practice" at this distant edge of Europe.

For more information on the project Life INHABIT "Local hydro-morphology, habitat and RBMPs: New measures to improve ecological quality of south European rivers and lakes";

 please check: www.life-inhabit.it

Gerald with Deputy Director of the WDD opening the workshop.

WDD has the legal responsibility to manage the waters of Cyprus wisely; so this kind of workshop is introduced by the Deputy Director. 

This is Gerald Dorflinger, a seasoned potamologist; master-and-commander of the WDD hydrometric databases and more! He outlined the Cyprus' WFD obligations.

Andrea Buffagni; one of Italy's most famous potamologists. Nice to meet him again, especially in Cyprus where he has done pioneering work.

David Armanini of the Prothea Group; another Italian with lots of Cyprus experience- he talked about typology etc.

Me, trying to talk about fish in Cyprus' rivers: we found very few fish !

One of  the HCMR slides showing the distribution of alien fish speceis in 31 researched  river basin areas in Cyprus.

One of the more boring slides I presented.

Skevi Manolaki a river-plant-woman from Cyprus: plants nourish life in rivers...

Skevi has done a lot of work on the plants of the rivers - they are biological quality elements too.

Kostas Gritzalis and Gerald organizing the presentations well.

Greek, Italian, and Austrian cooperation in Cyprus. I think the American Apple computer let us down.

One of Andrea's high-tech graphics - I am sorry I cannot explain it in  just a few words - but it looks great!

Audience: Students, NGO people, Institute scientists, administrators, consultants.

This was an interesting audience and at lunch there was a great Buffet complete with Cypriot "Koupes".

Some of the audience members are experts in the field and have worked long and hard in water management: So now they hear about the "biology of the rivers"...

Question-time for the science panel was interesting because there were many good questions!

Panel at question-time: Nikos Skoulikidis from HCMR (Greece) lent support. 

With Charles Demetriou, Senior Hydrologist at WDD; he asked some difficult questions.

Iakovos Tzortzis, one of Cyprus' best potamologists with his Italian co-workers.

Gerald leads the workshoppers away for some much-needed rest at the end of the meeting.

Enjoying wine and beer at the Fanous Lebanese Restaurant.

Greeks discuss a hydrobiological question: Why the wine vanished so fast!

Italian and Austrian peace, friendship, cooperation. David knows the typology of rivers!

Young Italian and Cypriot colleagues: I am sure they will see many restored rivers in the future!