Terra Cypria is proud to announce our newest conservation initiative: the Zakaki Merra Access Management and Habitat Protection Project, funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Plus Local programme.
Why Zakaki Merra matters
Zakaki Merra lies within the Akrotiri Wetlands, an area recognized as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and protected under the Akrotiri Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It’s one of the few parts of the wetland system that retains water even during the drier months of the year, making it a vital refuge for wildlife when other wetlands dry out.
The area supports a range of protected and priority bird species, including the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), Eleonora’s falcon (Falco eleonorae), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), spur-winged plover (Vanellus spinosus), stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), and squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides), as well as rare plants listed in the Red Data Book of the Flora of Cyprus.
The problem we’re tackling
For over a decade, Zakaki Merra has suffered from persistent illegal trailer parking and the fly-tipping that comes with it. Vehicles parked along road edges and sensitive habitats have caused soil compaction, vegetation loss, disturbance to nesting and feeding birds, pollution risks from dumped waste and leaking fluids, and even safety hazards for pedestrians and cyclists.
What we’re doing about it
Over the next 12 months, Terra Cypria will work closely with the Environment Department of Sovereign Base Areas Administration (SBAA) and Limassol Municipality to put a long-term, low-maintenance solution in place:
- Physical access controls: guardrails, gates, and strategically placed boulders to block unauthorized vehicle entry
- Site clearance: removing existing fly-tipped waste
- Track restoration: ploughing the closed-off dirt roads to help the habitat recover
- Monitoring and deterrence: using CCTV and clear signage to discourage trespassing
- Community engagement: awareness-raising activities and volunteer-led clean-up events, alongside regular site inspections and ecological monitoring
(This work builds on access-management actions originally planned as part of our wider Akrotiri and Agios Nikolaos programme, see our separate announcement on that project.)
The impact we expect
By closing off illegal access, we aim to stop ongoing habitat damage, reduce disturbance to protected birds, eliminate fly-tipping, and restore the safety and integrity of this important wetland site, with benefits that will last well beyond the duration of the project.
This project is delivered through funding from the UK Government through Darwin Plus (Local), with additional support from the Sovereign Base Areas Administration and Limassol Municipality.
Stay tuned for updates as the project progresses!