The Akrotiri Peninsula has been considered as one of the most pristine and valuable marine areas of Cyprus. With an amazing mosaic of coastal and marine habitats, the marine area has been providing unique ecosystem services to society for thousands of years. The habitats found within the area serve as important reproduction, breeding, and foraging ground for numerous species. The dangerous and widespread increase in human pressures in the region is threatening the marine habitats and ecosystems of the Akrotiri peninsula like never before. To achieve a sustainable coexistence of humans and nature, we need to act now and construct a future in which both humans and nature can thrive. Finding solutions together, in a participatory process, can ensure long term prosperity and generate sustainable change. Video editing & Design – Mike Constantinou Music Composer – George Kotsougiannis Commentary voice – Christophe Hadjigeorgiou Produced by MER Lab Documentary was produced through a Blue Marine Foundation project This short documentary was made possible due to the huge support and involvement of several people who shared their footage from the area. We are deeply grateful to Pantelis Charilaou, environmental officer at the Sovereign Base Areas Administration of Episkopi/Akrotiri and passionate visitor of the area, and Kostas Aristeidou, environmental officer at the Water Development Department of Cyprus and passionate free diver in the area, who supported us with enormous biodiversity clips from the area that composed large parts of the documentary. Kostas Aristeidou also shared the appealing videos of two monk seal individuals interacting with each other that are shown in the documentary. George Pavlides and Periklis Pavlides from BlueInstinct Freediving Centre shared several biodiversity and free-diving clips captured with a single breath, such as the video with the bottlenose dolphins and the sea turtle clip at the end of the documentary. Nicolas Nicolaou, a free diver from Limassol shared the extraordinary video clips of devil rays migrating from Akrotiri Peninsula. Valentinos Demetriou, a professional fisher from Limassol shared the video clips related to fishing and set nets. Mike Constantinou added beautiful biodiversity and seascape clips while George Kotsougiannis shared the drone footage that is shown in the beginning. Alexandros Papandreou on behalf of Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR) shared the video clips of the sea turtles hatchlings. Members of Marine and Environmental Research (MER) Lab, namely Christina Michail, Demetris Kletou, Florence Lacrosse, George Constantinou, Ioannis Savva, Leda L. Cai, Periklis Kleitou and Peter Malorey provided numerous video clips related to biodiversity, seascape, human activities and human impacts obtained through surveys and research activities of MER.

• published: 09 Dec 2022
• views: 919