Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

99 Oil Pollution • The Revised National Contingency Plan for oil pollution combating was approved in 2019. • The Implementation Agreement on the Sub- regional marine oil pollution contingency plan between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, was adopted in 2018. EU Funded Projects • Several research projects are implemented, under various funding schemes, in order to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Some examples include: – The Marine Litter Transnational Legislation Enhancement and Improvement project (MELTEMI) (funded by Interreg Balkan Mediterranean), which addresses the problem of marine litter. The project aimed, among others, to boost legal frameworks, and increase the capacity of public bodies and wider society to deal with the growing problem of marine littering. Marine litter assessments of the beach and seafloor were carried out and the public was trained to apply the EU protocol on Marine Litter Assessment. – The Bythos project (funded by the EMFF) aims to map the seafloor down-to 200 meters. – The RECONNECT project (funded by Interreg Balkan Mediterranean) aims at creating an online platform as part of the Citizens Science initiative, where divers are encouraged to visit the pilot study areas (in the case of Cyprus, the MPA Cavo Greco), and report online information on pollution (e.g. marine litter items, lost fishing gears).