A series of environmental projects organised by a bicommunal women’s group, including the planting of trees and sowing of seeds  will continue within the UN-patrolled buffer zone throughout September.

“The buffer zone, which for decades has been a symbol of division, can become a green spot, a place of hope and a legacy of unity,” Petra Terzi, head of the women in film and television chapter, one of the organizations participating in the actions, said.

Planting started with an olive tree on Pyla on Friday, which the group said was dedicated to the memory of the missing from both communities and due to its value as a universal symbol of peace.

Terzi added that by planting and working together side by side, the group wished to create an environment where future generations lived without walls, barbed wire and fear.

Lefka environmental promotion association representative Munnever Ebedi, whose organisation is equally participating in the project, said that bicommunal environmental actions, which promoted cooperation between the communities would constitute a tangible step towards peace.

As part of the project, trees and seeds familiar to the Cypriot flora and resistant to local weather conditions were chosen, in particular regard to the current water shortage which is affecting the island, the group said.

Additionally to the planting, a two-day conference will take place at Ledra Palace on September 22 to 23, in which both academic activists from Cyprus and abroad, as well as members of the Bicommunal Technical Committees for Gender, Environment and Education will be participating.

The project is part of the project “Cyprus Women Environmental Peacemakers – CWEP”, and funded by the EU with a contribution of €7,000, within the framework of the assistance program for the Turkish Cypriot community.