The first objective of the Terra Cypria Foundation is the application of pressure for better environmental protection. Our policy actions are achieved through continuous communication and awareness of people in key positions who can influence our daily lives, such as politicians and technocrats. This is done through letters, meetings, publications, seminars and exhibitions. We also participate in various Parliamentary Committees of the House of Representatives, as well as governmental technical committees assessing the environmental impact of projects and programmes in protected areas and the environment in general. Our policy action focuses mainly on biodiversity protection, renewable energy, environmentally friendly agriculture and fishery. We promote the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and, at the same time, we are dealing with Sustainable Tourism and the Circular Economy.

Our second objective is to make tomorrow’s citizens environmentally aware, specifically students of primary, secondary and tertiary education, so that they can deal responsibly with the environment and manage its natural resources. They will be the decision makers of tomorrow. As a key part of achieving this objective the Foundation set up the Cyprus Environmental Studies Centre in the abandoned school of Kritou Terra village in Paphos. The Centre was funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the EU LIFE Programme. The Centre has been in full operation since 1995, offering courses to nurseries, primary schools and Greek and anglophone secondary schools as well as higher education institutions from Cyprus and abroad.

The Centre contributes to the sustainable development of Kritou Terra’s community as the participants have the opportunity to stay overnight in the community’s dormitories and houses of the village’s residents, as well as enjoying local food.  Until today, the Centre’s courses had been attended by more than 71,000 participants from Cyprus and abroad.

The third objective of our Foundation is the implementation of programmes that contribute to the increase of knowledge about and the preservation and protection of the environment. Through our actions we aim to protect natural and semi-natural areas, and their biodiversity. We also promote sustainable agricultural practices, with the aim of a better future for both the present and future generations. We aim for action to improve the urban environment, such as the promotion of sustainable urban mobility and the establishment and protection of existing green spaces and the minimization of urban sprawl.

We recognise that education and increasing the awareness of the general public about the importance and value of the environment is particularly important. We believe that everyone needs to participate actively to address and solve the environmental problems of our country and of the entire world. Through our continued presence in the printed and electronic media we keep our fellow citizens in touch with our activities and the latest environmental news, and we suggest what they can do to support the protection of the environment.