EU Nature Directors’ meeting
The EU Nature Directors meeting organised by the Cypriot Presidency was held on 19-21 April 2026 in Paphos. The meeting was attended by CEPF Senior Policy Advisor, Hélène Koch.
The meeting addressed the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, focusing on national Restoration Plans, covering cross-border cooperation, good practices, and financing, including how the future Multiannual Financial Framework could better support biodiversity and pollinator monitoring. Delegates also discussed the role of farmers and landowners in addressing pollinator decline, noting that 80% of EU crops and wildflower species depend on insect pollination, while one in three species of bees, butterflies and hoverflies is in decline. Discussions covered which EU policy instruments, including the CAP, the EU biodiversity strategy and the Nature Restoration Regulation, most effectively support pollinators in agricultural landscapes, and the barriers farmers face in adopting pollinator-friendly practices.
The field trip of the meeting took place around Ayios Georgios isle, off the coast of Pegeia. Uninhabited since the 15th century, the islet was once home to a Hellenistic-era sanctuary dedicated to Apollo and remains an active archaeological research site. It is part of the Natura 2000 network, valued as a breeding habitat for seabirds and for its Mediterranean coastal flora, with access restricted to protect its fragile ecosystem. Ayios Georgios illustrates the twofold objective of safeguarding cultural heritage and biodiversity.
Forest Directors’ meeting
The EU Forest Directors meeting organised by the Cypriot Presidency was held on 27-29 April 2026 in Paphos. The meeting was attended by MTK Forest Director, Marko Maki-Hakola, on behalf of CEPF.
The meeting addressed climate change and challenges in forest ecosystem management, with a particular focus on forest fires and biodiversity, through presentations and informal discussion.
The first exchange examined Member States' measures for integrated, whole-cycle wildfire risk management, the interplay between fire prevention policies and the goals of the Nature Restoration Law, and the adequacy of current monitoring systems and data availability. Participants, including representatives of forest owners' organisations, highlighted sustainable forest management, landscape-level planning and cooperation between landowners, authorities and rescue services as key elements of prevention, alongside the role of European monitoring tools such as Copernicus.
The second exchange focused on the role of Forest Services in enabling whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches to wildfire risk, and on the balance of EU funding between prevention and suppression, including how this could be addressed in the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034).
The field trip took place in Cedar Valley, in the Paphos Forest, home to the endemic Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia), found only within the Koilada Kedron-Kampos Natura 2000 site. The cedar forest is a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive, highly vulnerable to fire due to its limited range and poor regeneration capacity. Under the EU-funded LIFE-KEDROS project, fire protection plans, reinforced patrols and habitat restoration have strengthened the area's resilience, illustrating the close link between fire prevention and biodiversity conservation.
