Ecology
The seasonal Paralimni Lake is the home to the harmless Cyprus grass snake (natrix natrix cypriaca) which was thought extinct from the 1960s, until 'Snake George' (H. Wiedl) re-discovered the species in the early 1990s.
As a result the lake was designated a Site of Community Interest (SCI). Despite this the Cyprus Government issued permission for over 300 home to be built on the site, resulting in the European Commission instigating court action against Cyprus.
Other hazards faced by the snake are moto-cross and man killing them through ignorance and superstition.
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“... the fundamental principles of ecology govern our lives wherever we live, and ... we must wake up to this fact or be lost.”
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