Dr. Savvas Zotos

Dr. Savvas Zotos (PhD) is an Academic Collaborator at the European University of Cyprus, and a scientific collaborator at the Open University of Cyprus with special interest in animal monitoring and wildlife conservation. Savvas holds a BSc (2004) and PhD (2014) in Biology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He has been awarded with two fellowships from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation for his Doctoral (PENEK) and his Post-Doctoral research (DIDACTOR) focused on the study of reptiles’ locomotion, ecology and behaviour.

 

Previously, he worked as a research officer at Terra Cypria (the Cyprus Conservation Foundation) and had collaborated with Cyprus University of Technology and Frederick University as a researcher/herpetologist.  Since 2012 he has been offering scientific expertise and Project Management services, under contract, to public authorities such as the Department of Environment and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research in various research, monitoring and conservation projects. He is one of the principal investigators behind the creation of the Cyprus RoadKill Observation System (CyROS), a citizen science approach that aims to report and analyse the impact of Cyprus Road Network on wild animals. In November of 2021 he founded BioNER, a startup that focuses on Biodiversity Monitoring, Nature Conservation and Environmental Research aiming to use innovative solutions to contribute towards a more sustainable future.

 

He has coordinated and participated in numerous (>10) EU and locally funded projects (e.g. LIFE, COST, Erasmus), both as project coordinator and as expert on animal monitoring and conservation, providing scientific advice and conducting research. He has participated in over 20 international conferences concerning zoology, herpetology and animal conservation and has six publications (two under review) in the past two years. He is the vice president of the Cyprus Herpetological Society and an active member of the Hellenic Herpetological Society. He is also member and supporter of local environmental NGOs and foundations (i.e.  Friends of the Earth Cyprus, BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria). He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the newly established Cyprus Environmental Foundation. His main research interests are focused on Animal Ecology and Behaviour, Biodiversity Monitoring, and Wildlife conservation, with special focus on reptiles.

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• Zotos S., Stamatiou M., Naziri A., Meletiou S., Demosthenous S., Perikleous K., Erotokritou E., Xenophontos M., Zavrou D., Michael K. & L. Sergides (2021) New evidence on the distribution of the highly endangered Natrix natrix cypriaca and implications for its conservation. Animals, 11(4), 1077. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041077

• Irschick D., Corriveau Z., Mayhan T., Siler C., Mandica M., Gamble T., Martin J., Jet B. & S. Zotos (2020). Devices and Methods for Rapid 3D Photo-Capture and Photogrammetry of Small Reptiles and Amphibians in the Laboratory and the Field. Herpetological Review 51(4), 716–725.

• Vogiatzakis I.N., Zotos S., Litskas V.D., Manolaki P., Sarris D. & M.C. Stavrinides (2020) Towards implementing Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services in Cyprus: A first set of indicators for ecosystem management. One Ecosystem 5: e47715. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.5.e47715

• Manolaki P., Zotos S. & I. N. Vogiatzakis (2020) An integrated ecological and cultural framework for landscape sensitivity assessment in Cyprus, Land Use Policy, p.104336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104336

• Zotos S., Baier F., Sparrow D. & I. N. Vogiatzakis (2018) A citizen science approach to assess the impact of roads on reptile mortality in Cyprus. Proc. SPIE 10773, Sixth International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of the Environment (RSCy2018). 107730J (6 August 2018), p 13 https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2326222

• Zotos S. & I.N. Vogiatzakis (2018) CyROS: towards a common methodological framework for roadkills recording in Cyprus. Ecologia Mediterranea, 44(1), 109 – 114. http://doi.org/10.3406/ecmed.2018.2033 

• Giosa Ε., Mammides C. & S. Zotos (2018) The importance of artificial wetlands for birds: A case study from Cyprus. PLoS ONE 13(5): e0197286. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197286