BirdLife Cyprus and Terra Cypria have expressed concern over the situation at Lady’s Mile beach, calling on the British Sovereign Base Areas Administration to carry out checks on businesses and enforce legislation in the area.
The two organisations are demanding that the Administration publicly clarify how it ensures compliance with legislation, environmental obligations and the terms governing business operations there.
Lady’s Mile forms part of the wider Akrotiri wetland complex and is a protected area of high ecological importance. The organisations said this period is particularly critical, as it coincides with the breeding season of sea turtles and bird species that use the area’s coastal and wetland habitats.
Activities raising compliance concerns
Since the start of the summer season, the organisations said, activities have been recorded that raise serious questions about their compatibility with the area’s protected status and the terms under which businesses operate there. These include night events and parties, increased use of the beach during evening hours, intense lighting and noise, and the extended presence of heavy beach infrastructure such as sunbeds, which under legislation must be removed between 7pm and 7am, as well as water sports and floating structures.
The organisations said the situation appears to have been gradually worsening over the past five years, both in the intensity and frequency of activities exceeding the beach’s designated use under the environmental legislation governing the protected area. They noted that in the past, certain events did not go ahead because organisers could not secure the required environmental approvals, which they said shows that licensing and enforcement procedures exist and can be applied when there is the necessary administrative will.
Repeated written concerns, no substantive response
BirdLife Cyprus and Terra Cypria said they have raised these concerns in writing and repeatedly with the SBA Administration, requesting information on the monitoring and enforcement framework applied and the measures taken when non-compliance is identified. They said no substantive response to these questions has been given to date.
The organisations said the SBA Administration, as the competent authority for the area, should have an active, clear and effective system of monitoring, prevention and enforcement, particularly in a protected area and especially during a critical period for wildlife. They added that music and other events drawing large numbers of evening visitors to Lady’s Mile are advertised and publicised in advance, making their existence and scale easily identifiable by the relevant authorities.
What the organisations are asking to be clarified
BirdLife Cyprus and Terra Cypria are specifically asking for clarification on:
- how compliance with business operating licence terms and related environmental obligations is monitored
- whether activities such as organised events, parties, weddings or additional installations are licensed, and if so, under what assessment procedure
- what action has been taken to address possible violations
- what immediate measures will be taken to enforce the legislation and reduce disturbance and pressure during the breeding season
Call for zero tolerance
The organisations said enforcement of legislation in protected areas must be consistent, transparent, impartial and visible, with no exceptions, through a zero-tolerance approach in order to be effective. They said that when activities with significant environmental impacts on biodiversity continue without clear information on monitoring and enforcement, it creates a trust gap in the management of the area.
Whilst acknowledging the challenge of balancing beach recreation with nature protection at Lady’s Mile, the organisations said the priority in a protected area must be clear, and that preserving the area’s ecological integrity is an obligation arising from current legislation and its protected status.
BirdLife Cyprus and Terra Cypria called on the SBA Administration to proceed immediately with substantive checks, full enforcement of the legislation, and action wherever non-compliance is identified, and to publicly disclose the actions taken. They also called on Limassol Municipality and Kourion Municipality to inform them how approved beach plans are being implemented.