The debate over protecting nature in Cyprus is often treated as an issue that primarily concerns the environment. As a matter of safeguarding habitats, forests, beaches or rare species.
The reality, however, is far harsher: the degradation of nature is also an economic risk.
Perhaps the most alarming figure is also the simplest. According to a report on page 6 of today's edition, Cyprus requires around €149 million annually in biodiversity and ecosystem investment but spends only €54 million. The resulting €96 million annual gap is not merely an environmental deficit. It is an economic liability being pushed into the future.
And this is happening in an economy that, according to the European Commission, depends on ecosystem services more heavily than the European average. Fifty per cent of Cyprus' gross value added depends significantly on nature, compared with 44% across the EU.
In sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, construction, water supply and transport, that dependence is even greater.
This means that protecting nature is an investment in the country's productive capacity.
Cyprus, moreover, cannot afford to ignore the warnings. Climate change, water scarcity, wildfires, land degradation and mounting pressure on coastal areas are already generating real economic costs.
Every delay in restoring ecosystems potentially increases the bill.
The crucial choice, therefore, is not between economic development and environmental protection.
It is understanding that without natural capital there can be no sustainable development.
The National Restoration Plan, which Cyprus is required to submit to the European Commission by September, offers an opportunity to change this approach.
It should not become just another compliance exercise for Brussels, filled with targets and timetables.
It needs to become an economic plan, with clear priorities, financing, measurable outcomes and accountability.
The €96 million does not simply represent the cost of protecting nature.
It is the price of choosing not to protect it in time.
And in the end, the bill will be paid by the economy itself, which means by all of us.
