By Efi Xanthou
Since the spring of 2022, works have been underway in the Akamas Peninsula under the auspices of the Forestry Department for the first phase of the Akamas National Park Plan that concerns the improvement of forestry roads for use by private vehicles.
The last two weeks both ecological organisations and active citizens have been reacting to the news that the roadworks underway in the Akamas Peninsula are not adhering to the restrictions set by the Department of Environment and included in the updated schematics handed over to the contractor responsible for the works. This should come as no surprise since it was obvious from the initiation of the works that no care was being taken to safeguard the very fragile environmental equilibrium in the area. Any visitor to the area can see that heavy machinery was operating under no serious supervision, that earthworks were underway in a haphazard way and that surplus excavated materials were being unceremoniously dumped in the sensitive Natura 2000 area.
The director of the Forestry Department insists that all works are being conducted under his department’s supervision in the form of hired outside help. Charalambos Alexandrou also promised to go to the area and assess the situation and let us know if the photos that have been circulated give an accurate description of what is actually happening on the ground. He insisted that the contractor is adhering to the stipulations of his contract and the schematics provided, and he wondered if the mistake was made by the Town Planning Department that should have included the restrictions demanded by the Environmental Department. He insists that his eyes and ears in the area are doing their job adequately, and he has every confidence in them.
So where were these government representatives, committed under contract to oversee the works and ensure that the environment was protected? Did they not see that groundwork was laid to install electricity lines and water pipes? A big no-no if further development is to be prevented? Did they not see that the highly protected juniper bushes (aoratoi in the Cyprus dialect) were being uprooted and dumped in heaps, like fire kindle ready to be torched? Who did they report to? The Paphos District or the central offices of the Forestry Department?
Alexandrou is about to retire, and I wonder what his number two, Savvas Iezekiel, has to say about all this mess. He seems to be the most likely candidate to step in as deputy director of the Forestry Department but was also directly involved in overseeing the works underway in Akamas (probably because of his Paphian roots that would help smooth the way for the roadworks). Maybe reporters should be asking him what he thinks about all this, since he has more skin in the game than his (soon-to-be-former) boss.
The deputy director of the Environment Department, Elena Stylianopoulou, was also sought out for comments and said to the Cyprus Mail that complaints were indeed made and that they were being investigated, jointly with the Forestry Department and the Game Authority. I wonder if they have all forgotten that the Akamas National Park Plan has officially been in effect since September 1, 2023, or if they have a good excuse for not finalising the ministerial protection directives that were supposed to be put in place to adequately protect the Akamas Peninsula, as a Natura 2000 designated area for more than a decade now. We have already received a warning notice from the EU Commission from April 2022, since we had not provided the said protection decrees yet.
It’s now November 2023 but not only have they NOT provided the necessary protection decrees, they will also only now investigate complaints concerning the works that will open the floodgates towards more visitors and constructions in this very sensitive area.
The Cyprus Natural Coastline Initiative published their investigation last week, noting in detail all the infringements of the approved roadmap towards implementing the Akamas National Forest Park Plan. Terra Cypria, BirdLife, Friends of Akamas, the Greens and Akel have all asked for an immediate suspension of the roadworks, since it is obvious that they have violated the precisely stipulated, non-negotiable conditions attached to the National Plan, stemming from a special study commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
The president of the House environment committee Charalambos Theopemptou was livid when asked to comment on Radio Politis 1706 by Katerina Eliades and has announced that the issue is to be discussed in their session on Wednesday, November 21. He stressed that the violations are extremely serious and that he has lost every confidence in the government authorities to enforce the legal framework or oversee the delicate works underway.
He reminded us that the demolition of illegal constructions in the area were also a part of the National Plan, but no court order seems to have been attained towards this end. He wants the government to revisit the plans to create 14 kiosks and information points, because they will most probably become regular tourist beaches, if recent developments are any indicator. He also reminded listeners that in 2016 the Forestry Department wanted to receive the right to allocate all beaches under their jurisdiction to local authorities and private enterprises to operate for profit, which was halted in the House of Representatives.
I have already stated in a previous article that we should forget the Akamas we hoped to see (published September 25 in the Cyprus Mail). These latest developments have given me a slim hope that things could be rectified if we all get our act together. I desperately hope that my initial assessment will be proven wrong. Hope springs eternal!
Efi Xanthou is a political scientist and the coordinator of Cyprus Greens-Citizens Cooperation’s interior committee