Programme

The field trip will take place mainly at the Rizoelia National Forest Park and some smaller patches of gypsum in the district of Larnaca. 

The National Forest Park of Rizoelia, a Natura 2000 site, covers an area of 97 ha. It is located 3 Km South-East of the center of Aradipou village and 7 Km North-East of Larnaka city. The climate of the wider area is typically Mediterranean, the mean annual rainfall is around 345 mm. The landscape is mild with small hills (the mean altitude is 150 m) and gentle slopes. The geological substrate consists of gypsum outcrops alternating with chalky marls and marly chalks. The soils are cypsiric lithic leptosols, cypsiric antropic regosols and calcanic leptic regosols. 

There are four natural habitats at the site, *1520 - Gypsum steppes, *5220 - Arborescent matorrals with Ziziphus, 5420 – East Mediterranean phrygana, and *6220 - Pseudo-steppe with grasses and annuals of the Thero – Brachypodietea. The site is home to 44 bird species, including 2 Cyprus endemic species (Oenanthe cypriaca, Sylvia melanothorax); 8 mammals and 16 reptiles. It is also home to 180 indigenous plant taxa (11% of the indigenous flora of Cyprus) of which 11 are endemic species and subspecies (7.8% of the endemic flora), while 6 species are endangered and listed in the Red Book of the Flora of Cyprus. Most of the site is covered by plantations of Pinus brutia, Cupressus sempervirens, Pinus pinea, Acacia saligna etc. Phrygana (5420) is the dominant natural vegetation and consists mainly of Thymbra capitata, Phagnalon rupestre, Asphodelus ramosus, Allium cupani subsp. cyprium, Stipa arabica, Atractylis cancellata, Onobrychis venosa, Helianthemum obtusifolium, Asparagus horridus, Echium angustifolium, Carlina libanotica and scattered individuals of Ziziphus lotus. 

The north-east part of the site is dominated by phrygana (5420) in mosaics with grasslands (6220). Gypsophilous vegetation (priority habitat *1520) develops in scattered patches all over the site. Characteristic species of the priority habitat type *1520 are the gypsophiles Campanula fastigiata and Gypsophyla linearifolia and the gypsovags Herniaria hemistemon, Onobrychis venosa, Helianthemum stipulatum, Thymbra capitata. Herbs such as Allium cyprium subsp. lefkarense, Allium cupani subsp. cyprium, Allium ampeloprasum and annual grasses, also participate. At the southern part, there is quite representative matorral with Ziziphus lotus (priority habitat *5220). The main plants of these communities are Ziziphus lotus, Asparagus horridus, Noaea mucronata, Thymbra capitata and Phagnalon rupestre. 

For more info visit: http://www.life-rizoelia.eu/

This site is characterised by extensive gypsum outcrops occupying an area of about 600 ha. It is situated 30 km Southwest of Larnaca city and 25 km East of Limassol city, between the villages Tochni, Psematismenos and Maroni. The climate of the wider area is typically Mediterranean and the mean annual rainfall is around 450 mm. The landscape is mild with small hills and the mean altitude is 120 m. 

There are five natural habitats at the site, 5330 - Thermomediterranean and pre - steppe brush with Genista fasselata, 5420 - East Mediterranean phrygana (Cisto-Micromerietea), 9320 - Olea and Ceratonia forests (Ceratonio-Rhamnion), *6220 - Pseudo-steppes with grasses and annuals (Thero-Brachypodietea) and *1520 - Gypsum steppes (Gypsophiletalia), which is very rare in the island and covers only a small portion of the area. 

The priority habitat type *1520 - Gypsum steppes (Gypsophiletalia) is a particular type of open, low matorral (scrub) characterised by specialised gypsophilous species developing on gypsum substrate (Delipetrou and Christodoulou 2010). Despite that, gypsum outcrops are found at various places in Cyprus, this gypsophilous vegetation is confined only to a few gypsum outcrops mainly to the foothills of Pentadaktylos range and near Aradippou village (Rizoelia National Forest Park). Also, it has been recently found in a small patch at Psematismenos village.

Although the gypsum areas of Cyprus were thought as lacking the typical plant communities found in other parts of the Mediterranean (Meikle 1977), recent work has documented the occurrence of the gypsophiles Campanula fastigiata (Christodoulou and Hand 2009), Gypsophyla linearifolia (Critically Endangered) (Christodoulou 2006) and the endemic shrub Teucrium salaminium (Hadjikyriakou and Hand 2011). The floristic composition of the communities includes, except from the gypsophiles, a range of gypsovags, which are species occurring frequently, but not confined on gypsum (Pueyo et al. 2007). Such as the shrubs and subshrubs Helianthemum stipulatum, Helianthemum obtusifolium, Thymbra capitata and the herbs Herniaria hemistemon (Vulnerable) (Christodoulou 2006), Onobrychis venosa, Sedum eriocarpum subsp. porphyreum, Valantia hispida, Chaenorhinum rubrifolium (Endangered) and Filago eriosphaera.  The structure of the communities is characterised by a low cover of shrubs and subshrubs and by large openings covered by herbs or naked (on hard gypsum).

As it was mentioned at the beginning, in the wider area of Tochni-Psematismenos-Maroni, although the gypsum outcrops cover a relatively large area (600 ha), the gypsophilous vegetation (*1520-Gypsum steppes) is restricted to a small patch of approximetely 1000 m2, within the built-up area of Psematismenos village. This patch was found recently (April 2019), thus further survey is required to determine the actual distribution of the habitat in the wider area.