Working Groups
Working Groups under the umbrella of the CESF
Within the structure of the CESF, there are semi-autonomous working groups, or “sub-committees”, chaired by a member of the CESF, but extending beyond the CESF membership to include organisations and people who are experts or stakeholders in specific thematic areas. For each of these projects, the CESF acts as a peer review committee, reviewing progress on a regular basis and providing support as required. For the moment, four such working groups are either active or planned:
- Biodiversity and Conservation working group: This group is composed of two projects sponsored by UNDP-ACT:
- “Setting the foundations for a Pancyprian Network of Nature Conservation Organisations”: this project, led by Intercollege, includes a wide range of Cypriot NGOs and will create a series of databases which will be hosted on the CESF website, including:
- A “who is who” database of environmental stakeholders on the island
- Funding opportunities for environmental NGOs in Cyprus
- Environmental education opportunities
- Biodiversity in the Buffer Zone: This project is led by a bi-communal team of experts in different aspects of biodiversity (mammals, reptiles etc.) who are systematically scanning the buffer zone for rare and endangered species, in order to highlight the conservation value of that area of Cyprus. The team leader is also a member of the CESF steering committee, and this project forms the research branch of the CESF.
- “Setting the foundations for a Pancyprian Network of Nature Conservation Organisations”: this project, led by Intercollege, includes a wide range of Cypriot NGOs and will create a series of databases which will be hosted on the CESF website, including:
- “Network for a Sustainable Future”: this project, led by the NGO AKTI, involves a range of CSO partners in Cyprus and abroad, and aims to create a network of organisations in Cyprus and in the region, whose common focus is intergrated coastal zone management. They have been in contact with significant international organisations in this community of practice, including the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, the EU’s ENCORA programme etc.
- Sustainable Mining: This project has not yet begun, but will bring together all relevant stakeholders in Cyprus and beyond in order to promote and support sustainable extractive industries. This will start by promoting existing mine and quarry remediation efforts sponsored by UNDP-ACT, but will result in the creation of a think tank able to provide expert advice on sustainable mining and mine remediation issues. The rapporteur for this group will once again be a member of the CESF steering committee.
- Air Pollution: This is still in the process of being designed, but will eventually lead to bi-communal cooperation for air pollution measurements, with possible assistance from expertise abroad, such as the University of Stuttgart, which has participated in bi-communal ambient air measurements before. There will also be an attempt to make this a multidisciplinary effort (for example, by including meteorologists for assistance on the issue of air pollution dispersion models).
Many more thematic projects are expected to be added to the CESF structure as it evolves.
