Cyprus and Greece have joined forces in a “milestone” collaboration to use their scientific expertise in tackling forest fires, The Cyprus Mail reports.
The Cyprus Institute (CyI), the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), and the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of joining forces to prevent and manage forest fires.
According to a written statement, the deal formalised “many years of research and cooperation” between the three top institutions and was necessary as the climate crisis has increased the frequency of catastrophic forest and suburban fires.
The collaboration aims to:
(1) utilise the know-how and experience acquired by the three institutions regarding the issue of forest fires, and
(2) develop an integrated action plan to incorporate, organise and utilise the existing knowledge of the institutions for the effective response to forest fires at all stages.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the director and chairman of the board of NOA, professor Manolis Plionis, the vice-rector for research and education of NKUA, professor Nikolaos Voulgaris, and The Cyprus Institute’s president, Professor Costas Papanicolas.
Source: Cyprus Mail.
