Our organization participated in the three-day event on the topic of Drystone Heritage and the prospects for vocational training in drystone construction in Cyprus on June 10-12, 2025.

The three-day event was organized by the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare, on the occasion of World Environment Day (5 June) in collaboration with the Environmental Education Unit of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (YPAN), the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO and the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK).

During the three-day event, interesting actions and initiatives from institutions in Cyprus and Greece were presented, while the challenges related to the protection, management and sustainable use of dry stone heritage were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on institutional policies and international good practices for the preservation and transmission of dry stone as a living tradition and on the organized professional training of stone craftsmen. The documentary “Stone on Stone” was also screened and an on-site tour of dry stone landscapes in Vasa Koilaniou and Polystypos was held.

Within the framework of the event, we presented the actions of our organization and mainly the Andros Routes project, and how it has been operating for the last 15 years in direct and indirect ways to preserve the dry stone structures, as well as the art of dry stonework of Andros.

The importance of dry stone walls lies not only in the fact that they are a trace of the centuries-old agricultural culture, the timeless landscape of Andros, as well as architectural masterpieces. They critically affect the current quality of life in Andros through the ecosystem services they offer to people and wildlife, retaining soil and water, preserving flora, offering habitats to wildlife, protecting biodiversity, contributing to temperature regulation and therefore to addressing climate change. The dry stone structures of the rural area of ​​Andros are valuable resources that previous generations have bequeathed to us. The wider society of the island must understand that their preservation, as well as the preservation of the art of dry stone walls, is the responsibility of all of us.

Read more about dry stone repair on route 6 at the link https://www.androsroutes.gr/episkevi_xirolithias/