CESC – Education – Terra Cypria

Teaching

CESC employs natural sciences and biology scientists who have experience in both education and research. We have two well-equipped laboratory/classrooms with seating for 40 people each, as well as a study / rest / games room with seating for 15. A library of books of general and specific environmental interest is also available to the students.

All the necessary equipment for fieldwork and lab follow-up is available, including flowmeters, clinometers, levels, drying oven, oxygen, pH and conductivity meters etc. An extensive databank of background information sheets, recording tables and analysis sheets are also available for each study day, any of which can be adapted to suit the requirements of any group.

Meet the faculty

Educational Programmes

All our educational programmes are based on long-term experience and multi-disciplinary scientific approach. They are designed to meet the specific needs of each group of students visiting us, from Primary Level through to IGCSE.

There is no better classroom for learning about nature and the landscape than the countryside itself.

Click on the tabs below to learn more about the programmes that we offer.

State Schools

The programs are designed to comply with the Ministry’s Environmental Education (EE) / Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Curriculum of the Ministry of Education and Culture, and respond to the desired results of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

All programs can be adapted to the needs and requirements of each group of students.

Download programmes (PDF)

Water Trail

Half Day

Children familiarise themselves with water as a resource, its significance, uses (both past and present), problems, solutions and geological relevance. Using a village map, children look for pre-determined water related sites, as in a ‘treasure hunt’, completing an information sheet with missing sections.

Ecology of Freshwater – Stream Life

Full Day

Investigate the range of plant and animal life in a permanent stream on the outskirts of Kritou Terra, observe them under stereoscopes and learn about adaptations, food chains and webs in stream ecology.

Animal Ecology of Valley and Hillside (garigue)

Full Day

Investigating the animal (invertebrate) communities of hillside and valley floor that enables careful observation and builds concepts of ecology.

An Introduction to the Akamas

Full Day

An inspirational and scenic hike exploring part of the Akamas peninsula, with emphasis on changing vegetation and the influence of natural and human factors on the landscape.

The Seashore

Half Day

Children learn about the natural and human coastal environment. They discover this dynamic landscape through seashore invertebrate collection, observation and discussion; investigating rock pools while learning about ecological principles.

Marine Litter Investigation

Half Day

Children learn how to identify all kinds of marine litter on a sandy shore and record them on online. This study tries to sensitise younger generations about the problem of litter in a marine and coastal ecosystem and tries to give solutions to the generator of the problem.

Find the Reptiles

Half Day

Children participate in a treasure hunt trying to find the hidden Cyprus reptiles using augmented reality to reveal them. Lizards and snakes come alive in front of their eyes allowing them to explore the reptiles in detail, in a safe and fun environment.

The Avakas Gorge

Half Day

Fascinating walk discovering the geological history of a steep gorge into a Natura 2000 protected area within the National Forest Park of Akamas. Look at how rock types are related to the shape and characteristics of the landscape, exploration of a valley system which cuts through several distinctive geologies with spectacular features.

Exploring our Environment with our Senses

Half Day

Using our senses outdoors to discover the secrets of our natural environment through games and activities. Can be incorporated into some of the above.

Creative Activities

Half Day

Art and modelling based on exploration of the environment near Kritou Terra. An enjoyable cross-curricular activity.

Team-building Games

Half Day

A variety of fun and interesting challenges to encourage teamwork and problem solving. Can be done as a stand-alone session or mixed with other activities.

G.C.S.E., IB, A Level Study Options

ECOLOGICAL STUDIES (ALSO BIOGEOGRAPHY)

Mark/Recapture

Implementing the mark/recapture methodology using two species of snail in the surrounding area as a small-scale example of estimating populations in the wild using Lincoln’s Index and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of such methods.

Fire & Vegetation Ecology

Full Day

Examining, with the use of random sampling method, the soil and vegetation succession process in a pine forest that was partially burned some years before. Participants can observe what are the effects of fires in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem.

Coastal Ecology

Full Day

Investigating the distribution patterns of flora and fauna in a rocky shore ecosystem, with the use of systematic belt transect method, by examining their distance from the sea and the abiotic factors affecting their presence and population size.

Terrestrial Invertebrates Ecology

Full Day

Investigating the ecology of terrestrial invertebrates with the use of random sampling, identifying the ecological biotic interactions between them and seeing how food webs manage to keep an ecosystem in a balance.

Biomass Study

Full Day

Investigating the terrestrial invertebrates within a grassland habitat with the use of random sampling, identifying ecological interactions between them and seeing how they keep an ecosystem in a balance by examining their biomass with the use of pyramids of numbers and biomass, food webs and energy transfer.

Freshwater Ecology

Full Day

Investigating two microhabitats within a river ecosystem. By examining the population size of aquatic invertebrate species and by measuring various abiotic factors, students get to calculate the biodiversity of the habitat, with the use of the Simpsons’ index.

Bio-indicator species are also used to assess the quality of the water during the investigation.

Pond Pollution Study

Half Day

Examining the quality of water in local water tanks, of the surrounding villages, that are used for irrigation purposes by testing biotic and abiotic factors so to identify any indication of pollution.

IGCSE, AS, A Level Study Options

Tourism

Full Day

Investigating how villages and towns around the Akamas region have been developed based on tourism and what are the impacts to their economy and to the natural environment.

Meteorology/Climate Change and Humans

Half Day

Investigating local weather conditions, using weather instruments by recording the changing conditions over the period of a group’s visit and discuss the impacts of climate change on humans.

Rural Rebranding

Half Day

Investigating the causes of the decreasing population in rural areas and the efforts made to tackle this problem.

Urban Studies

Full Day

Investigating the characteristics in morphology and economic zonation of the largest settlement in the Paphos district.

Coastal Geomorphic Processes and Human Interference

Full Day

Investigating how the sea effects the coastline and the pressures and threats of human activities.

River Hydrological Processes

Full Day

Investigating the physical characteristics of a seasonal river in the area, starting from near the source and finishing close to the mouth.