A two-year research project into some of Kyrenia’s 360 caves

The Caves of Kyrenia Mountains: Research, Conservation and Education Project took place from 2017 to 2019. The overall objective was to study and raise awareness about caves in the Pentadaktylos/Kyrenia Mountains and promote their protection as landscape features of potential Natura 2000 sites. Project activities included cave training workshops, cave cleaning and exploration as well as research and outreach on a wide range of subjects, including cave history, tectonics, speleothem dating and isotope analysis, bat and invertebrate biology, and microbiology. Moreover, three active and trained caving clubs were established.

The project was supported by the European Union under the Civil Society in Action V Grant Scheme and co-funded by the USA Embassy in Nicosia through support by the International Exchange Alumni office at the Department of State. It was implemented by the Association of Cave Enthusiasts, colleagues at the University of Nicosia and the International and European Speleological Federations.

In January 2020, journalist Ms Annette Chrysostomou interviewed Kyriacos Georgiou and Iris Charalambidou from the University of Nicosia, and their Turkish-Cypriot colleague Prof. Salih Gucel (the project coordinator) about the project outcomes.

The following article was published in the Cyprus Mail:

Plumbing the depths: the caves of Kyrenia’ by Annette Chrysostomou, February 2, 2020
https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/02/02/plumbing-the-depths-the-caves-of-kyrenia