Environmental organisations BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria and the Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus (OEPOK) have expressed strong dissatisfaction and disagreement with the way the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment is handling the Akamas issue, following a recent meeting with the Ministry's Director General of Environment.
The meeting, the organisations say, did not constitute meaningful consultation. They were informed of decisions already taken, with no room for substantive discussion or genuine consideration of the positions they have repeatedly submitted, including in writing. This practice, they argue, weakens participatory processes and reinforces the impression that decisions are being made without the required transparency.
A pattern of violations without consequences
The organisations stress that this is not an isolated incident but part of a longstanding, systematic pattern in which violations of legally binding conditions are identified but go without consequences, decisions are taken without being fully implemented, and state commitments remain on paper only.
The Sustainable Development Plan for the Akamas National Forest Park (NFP) is being carried out in phases. Phase A works began in December 2022 and involved the improvement of three main roads, during which violations of legally binding environmental conditions were identified. These were acknowledged by all competent authorities except the Forestry Department, and led to supplementary Special Ecological Assessment reports and Council of Ministers decisions aimed at remedying the environmental damage caused and preventing the same mistakes from recurring in future phases.
Despite the acknowledgement of Phase A violations, the problems have remained largely unresolved for two years. These include road widenings and hydraulic works carried out in breach of the environmental conditions set, as well as interventions in sensitive habitats without regard for the ecological needs of the area's protected species. The overall picture is one of prolonged stagnation, with no plan for meaningful remediation, no full compliance, and no accountability for the identified violations.
Phases B and C meanwhile remain delayed, while only a limited review of construction plans is being pursued rather than the comprehensive reassessment and redesign called for in Council of Ministers decisions of 20 December 2023 and 19 March 2024, which aimed to reduce the environmental footprint as much as possible. This approach raises serious questions about whether the problems already identified and acknowledged have been meaningfully addressed, leaving Akamas in practice as an open construction site.
Basic conditions for the park still unmet
Equally troubling, the organisations say, is that key prerequisites for the operation of the Akamas NFP have yet to be fulfilled. Illegal roads and access points have not been closed, illegal premises continue to operate while new ones appear, comprehensive operational rules for the NFP have not been established or enforced, and the necessary protection and management orders for Natura 2000 network sites remain pending. The absence of these basic tools demonstrates a lack of comprehensive protection and management of the area and undermines the coherence of the original plan.
Calls for accountability and full compliance
The overall picture, the organisations say, is one of a process marked by limited consultation, inadequate documentation and an absence of transparency and accountability regarding decisions and the progress of the plan's implementation.
BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria and OEPOK are calling on the Ministry to reconsider its approach, ensuring full compliance with legally binding conditions and remediation of Phase A violations, a full and scientifically grounded reassessment of subsequent phases through a Special Ecological Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment, and consultation processes that meet the principles of transparency and participation by all stakeholders.
The organisations add that the lack of transparency surrounding one disciplinary and three administrative investigations into the violations, combined with limited consultation and the non-implementation of decisions already taken, is incompatible with the Republic of Cyprus's obligations regarding the conservation of Natura 2000 network sites.
"The protection of Akamas is not negotiable. It requires coordinated, scientifically grounded and comprehensive management, with respect for the country's environmental obligations. Accountability for the mistakes that have been made is an absolute prerequisite for ensuring they are not repeated," the statement concludes.
For more information: Tasos Shialis, Campaigns Coordinator, 22455072, tassos.shialis@birdlifecyprus.org.cy