Markings will be placed on a total of 12.5 kilometres of overhead power lines, with the aim of reducing the number of birds flying into them and being killed, ornithological charity BirdLife Cyprus announced on Friday.
The markings will be placed after an agreement was struck by the game service and the electricity authority (EAC), with the project set to begin in the coming weeks and be completed in spring next year.
BirdLife Cyprus said power lines constitute a “serious threat to birds worldwide” given the potential for birds to fly into them and be electrocuted, and added that in Cyprus, such incidents constitute the second-highest cause of death among vultures.
Between 2018 and May 2024, the deaths of a total of six vultures and seven bonelli’s eagles have been attributed to “collisions with or electrocution caused by overhead power lines”, with the vulture now threatened with extinction, according to the charity.
The markings will be placed on power lines which run across the main flight paths taken by vultures in Cyprus, as determined by BirdLife Cyprus after gathering the data garnered from transmitters placed on vultures, as well as other areas defined as posing a “high risk of collision”.
These areas include the Limnatis valley and the Paramali river, both of which are located in the Limassol district.
BirdLife Cyprus said the increase in energy consumption in Cyprus “makes it necessary that the ever-expanding network be designed appropriately, so as to protect biodiversity”.
They suggest that where new cables are placed, they be placed underground or with a changed design to make them more visible to birds. They also said that existing cables should be covered or insulated to ward off electrocutions, and also that more markings be placed to reduce the risk of birds flying into them.
They added that the markings placed as per the agreement signed on Friday are “a positive step in the right direction for the conservation of Cyprus’ birds”, and described the agreement as a “significant development in the efforts made” to protect endangered birds.
