Title:
Lara-Toxeftra Climate-Adaptive and REsponsive (CARE) management plan (Lara-Toxeftra CARE plan)

Duration:
July 2024 – September 2026

Partners:
Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR)

Funded by:
MedPAN Small Projects (28.7%), Cyprus Environmental Foundation (9.7%) with own contributions by MER (29.2%) and DFMR (32.3%)

Project Description:
Through the Lara-Toxeftra CARE project, MER works with the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR) to develop a climate-adaptive management plan for the Lara-Toxeftra Marine Protected Area, combining scientific evidence with stakeholder participation and local knowledge. With the completion of the project, the Lara-Toxeftra CARE plan will be the first National MPA management plan on the island.

Lara-Toxeftra is a vital site for Cyprus, as it is one of the largest nesting areas for the two marine turtles which lay their eggs in Cyprus, the loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas), while also hosting other important protected marine habitats and species.

Despite the area’s inclusion in the Natura 2000 network and listed as a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs), it currently lacks a comprehensive management plan. Due to the MPA’s significance for the local environment, economy, and culture, the lack of a management plan leaves it vulnerable to increasing anthropogenic pressures and climate change. To address this, the project’s management plan will be structured around three pillars:

Collaboration and contribution of all stakeholders and directly involved parties of the area (including local authorities) in the formation and implementation of the plan.
Scientific documentation of action plans and objectives for the area with a focus on its long-term protection against climate change.
Use and training of the area’s executive personnel in the latest monitoring and study technologies.

Specifically, we aim to utilize local knowledge so that, in collaboration with the authorities, a management plan can be created that is feasible and sustainable in the long term. Of course, it would be impossible to talk about long-term plans without including the impacts of climate change, which threatens both nesting beaches and the turtles themselves.

At the September 2026 consultation workshop, participants reviewed the project’s shoreline-change modelling, seasonal drone monitoring and draft Management Plan. The draft plan and workshop presentations are available for public review, with comments accepted until 15 October 2026.

The formation of a comprehensive management plan will result in the effective protection and monitoring of a vital ecosystem, while also providing the framework for expansion of similar management plans for other MPAs in Cypriot waters through dissemination of gathered data and results.

This project is supported by funding from MedPAN Small Projects and Cyprus Environmental Foundation.

Draft Lara Toxeftra Management Plan 2026-2036

https://youtu.be/xr99H84wNGc?si=4xTzMFMY-AmX6u5f