Two and a half years have passed since the Council of Ministers approved 11 compensatory measures for the residents of Akamas, yet they have still not been fully implemented. The aim was to boost socio-economic activity in local communities and create conditions for sustainable development in the area. Instead, as representatives of local authorities told P, serious delays and bureaucratic inertia on the part of the state have been observed.
Projects such as the craft and light-industry zone in Ineia, the livestock farming area in Neo Chorio - initiatives that could create jobs and help young people remain in the area - as well as the planning of roads in landlocked parts of the communities, have yet to materialise.
The subsidy
The only measure that has been fully implemented and directly supports local residents — although it does not create jobs — is Measure 1. This concerns the granting of a subsidy to landowners based on land area (€90 per decare of agricultural land), in recognition of the contribution rural plots make to landscape protection and the preservation of biodiversity.
Landowners received the subsidy for 2024 and 2025. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, 1,559 applications were submitted for 2025, with total payments amounting to €1,913,616. The assessment of applications was completed within the set deadlines, and payments were made to all beneficiaries on 5 December 2025.
The measure will remain in force for five years. However, in statements to P, Ineia Deputy Mayor Giangos Tsivikos expressed hope that it would continue to be renewed once it expires.
Akamas Office
Another measure that has been implemented — specifically last August — is Measure 3, which concerns the operation of the Akamas Local Coordination Office, housed at the offices of the Department of Environment in Paphos. One of its main objectives is the effective implementation of government commitments for the promotion and sustainable development of the Akamas area.
Since then, the Office’s coordinator, Yiannis Constantinou, has begun meetings with local authorities and stakeholders to identify the area’s needs and priorities. As a result, any tangible outcomes from the Office’s operation are expected further down the line.
Local authority representatives expressed satisfaction with their level of communication with the coordinator, but stressed that the immediate implementation of government commitments largely depends not on him, but on the relevant government departments.
Neo Chorio Deputy Mayor Giorgos Neofytou told P that communities’ request for the appointment of a Commissioner for the area — similar to the Commissioner for Mountain Communities — was not met. Meanwhile, Tsivikos argued that the Akamas Office should be based within the region itself.
Climbing and museums
According to the Akamas Office coordinator, two other measures that have begun to be implemented are the utilisation of the Ineia cliffs for rock-climbing activities under conditions set by the competent authorities (Measure 7), and the covering by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of part of the operating costs of local museums (Measure 9).
Regarding climbing, he said the local authority is working with a group of climbers who last year organised a three-day climbing festival in the community, attracting around 2,000 visitors. The event included training sessions and guided tours, with climbers attending from several countries.
Constantinou also said the community requested and was granted the former primary school building from the Ministry of Education, which is no longer in operation. Plans are under way to convert it into a sports centre incorporating climbing facilities and accommodation.
Craft and light-industry zone
At the same time, several major measures have not progressed. Local authorities view Measure 4 — the creation of a craft and light-industry zone within the administrative boundaries of Ineia — as a serious outstanding issue, as it is intended to generate employment through the establishment of small businesses.
Akamas Mayor Marinos Lamprou and Tsivikos attributed the delay to the Ministry of the Interior. Despite the local authority proposing two or three sites adjacent to the community with access to roads, electricity and water, the Department of Town Planning and Housing instead suggested a Turkish Cypriot-owned plot of just two to three decares at the village entrance.
The Municipality of Akamas has lodged an objection and sent a letter to the Director of Town Planning, proposing the originally selected sites. Mr Tsivikos said the proposed plot is negligible in size and unsuitable.
“How many craft units can fit on two or three decares of land?” he asked. “It is also unthinkable to have a craft zone at the entrance of your community, on the main road.”
Livestock farming zone
As with the craft zone in Ineia, the creation of a livestock farming area within the boundaries of Neo Chorio has also reached an impasse, despite the fact that the two existing units in the area operate illegally within a Natura 2000 zone.
Both the Akamas Office coordinator and Neo Chorio Deputy Mayor Giorgos Neofytou attributed the failure to a weakening of initial interest from four livestock farmers in the wider Chrysochous district, as reported by the Department of Agriculture.
Mr Neofytou said that a year ago, during a meeting with livestock farmers from Neo Chorio, Androlikou and other parts of the district, there had been strong interest. When the measure was announced, the state committed to creating a new livestock zone 1 km from the existing one and covering construction costs. He stressed that the new livestock area must be created.
Road network
Another measure concerns the planning and designation of roads by the Department of Town Planning in landlocked development zones within the communities that currently lack road access.
Local authority representatives said the Department designed certain roads and forwarded the data to the two municipalities to secure consent from landowners so the new roads could be registered. However, Neo Chorio’s deputy mayor complained that instead of designing an expanded road network for each community, the Department limited itself to just one road per area.
Referring to Neo Chorio, Neofytou said that rather than promoting a comprehensive programme covering residential, tourist and holiday zones, Town Planning recently submitted a proposal for a single road in a holiday area east of the village, which is relatively remote. By contrast, he said, there has been no movement regarding tourist and holiday areas closer to the coastline.
Other outstanding measures
According to local authorities, four further measures have yet to be implemented:
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A study to record, map and promote Akamas wells.
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The utilisation by the community of Ineia of sea salt from Lara beach within the Akamas National Forest Park, under conditions set by the competent authorities.
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Funding for a number of public-benefit projects based on community needs.
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The utilisation by Ineia of the visitor service hub of the Akamas National Forest Park at the southern bay of Lara, as road network works have been frozen following findings of non-compliance with environmental parameters by the Department of Forests.
Linked to the National Forest Park
Referring to delays in implementing all measures, Akamas Mayor Marinos Lamprou told P that both the state’s compensatory projects and other projects currently being implemented by the municipality - 40 in total, some of which, such as the observatory in Pano Arodes, create jobs - will not benefit communities to the fullest extent unless the Akamas National Forest Park becomes fully operational.
As he said, the park’s road network and visitor flows are directly linked to the economic revitalisation of surrounding communities.
Calls for jobs
“Even with these 11 compensatory measures, it is very difficult to keep young couples and young workers in the communities. We have carried out many projects, but what is missing is jobs,” Tsivikos said, stressing that the craft zone could provide some much-needed relief.
It is noted that during a session of Parliament’s Environment Committee last December, following MPs’ demands that local residents be included in jobs created at the Akamas National Forest Park, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said both the Ministry and the Akamas Office view the issue positively. She cited minibus drivers and 16 park ranger posts, for which the Department of Forests is accepting applications until 27 February.
Environment Committee chair and Green Party MP Charalambos Theopemptou said he would be ashamed, as someone from Nicosia, to take part in a guided tour of Akamas without a local person in such a role.
Once the necessary approvals for changes promoted by the Council of Ministers are secured — changes concerning both the reduction of the park’s environmental footprint and the development of surrounding communities — appropriate announcements will be made, the minister said.
It should be noted that the Department of Forests has included rapid response to the workplace relative to permanent residence (15 points) among candidate evaluation criteria. Other criteria include a physical test (40 points), level of education (15 points), and an oral interview related to duties (30 points).
Tsivikos expressed hope that candidates from the Akamas area will be selected, within the bounds of legality and without infringing the right of others to apply.
This article was originally published on the Greek-language Politis website.