NBS short description
Communal maintenance of mountain terraces, using local
expert knowledge to maintain and transfer the traditional knowledge of dry stone wall construction. The communal terrace construction activities contribute to the reduction of soil erosion, conserve productive agricultural land and maintain the cultural landscape.
Challenges raised during the preparatory meetings
He main concern of farmers and farm managers is agricultural production. Maintenance of drystone terraces is not their first priority. Terrace maintenance requires hard and dedicated manual labor. Many farmers are elderly and agricultural land is slowly abandoned.
Geographic area
Troodos Mountains of Cyprus, rural. The Troodos Mountains
are the central mountain massif of Cyprus, covering nearly 30% of the area of the republic. More than 100 small rural communities, whose population used to make a living from agriculture on drystone wall terraces, dot the mountain landscape.
Who owns the land?
Agricultural land is privately owned. Many agricultural plots
have been abandoned and have been taken over by natural vegetation, often land owners live in the urban areas or abroad.
Relevance for the lighthouse
It is an example of a research-initiated activity, adopted by rural communities (and in some cases NGOs), with an effective co-creation of knowledge and community empowerment.
Related projects with synergies
Our PRIMA REACT4MED Project (Inclusive Outscaling of
Agro-ecosystem Restoration Actions for the Mediterranean)
focusses on mountain terraces in the Troodos Mountains (2022-2025).
Governance of the case
The research team and a local SME invite the community council to host a terrace construction and maintenance event. The community council identifies local experts and together a location for the event is selected. Events are announced through the community councils in the nearby communities and through Facebook.
Local partners, associations, initiatives and champions engaged
Rural mountain communities, farmers, vineries, regional farmer coop, SMEs, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (agricultural officers, research and extension)