Following the Minister of Agriculture’s remarks last Tuesday regarding the administrative investigation into Akamas, reactions have sparked from environmental organizations.
This comes in response to the statement made by the government spokesperson after the conclusion of last Thursday’s Cabinet meeting regarding the alleged decisions taken.
In a joint statement, environmental organizations emphasize the need for the alignment of final construction plans with legally binding, substantial, and specific terms of environmental approval.
They oppose the “adjustment” of environmental approval terms to irregular construction plans and arbitrary construction work on the main road network of the Akamas National Forest Park.
Furthermore, as members of the ad-hoc committee for the Special Environmental Assessment (SEA), they request the final report of the administrative investigation by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment regarding the violation of legally binding, substantial, and specific terms of environmental approval during the improvement works on the main road network of Akamas.
BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria, the Initiative for the Conservation of Natural Coasts, and the Cyprus Wildlife Society believe that the decisions of the Cabinet regarding irregular construction plans and arbitrary construction work in Akamas do not ensure the enforcement of legally binding, substantial, and specific terms of environmental approval for the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas National Forest Park in general and Phase A for the improvement of the main forest roads Akamas in particular.
They note that the violation is recognized by all members of the ad-hoc committee for the SEA, including relevant authorities (Game and Fauna Service, Department of Environment, Fisheries and Marine Research) and specialized environmental organizations (Cyprus Environmental Organizations Federation, Terra Cypria, BirdLife Cyprus).
Only the Department of Forests (the contracting authority) continues to deny the violation of legally binding, substantial, and specific terms of the granted environmental approval.
One of the concerning points raised by environmental organizations is the lack of a clear acknowledgement of these violations in both the Environment Minister’s announcement on 05/12/2023, and the written statement by the government spokesperson on 07/12/2023.
Therefore, responsibilities are not sought or attributed.
In an open letter from environmental organizations dated 01/12/2023, addressed to the Environment Minister, a package of ten corrective measures has been submitted.
They have requested a private meeting between the Environment Minister and all members of the ad-hoc committee for the SEA to discuss in-depth and find mutually acceptable and institutionally correct solutions to the problem of the violations of the terms of the granted environmental approval for the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas National Forest Park.
In response, they received an invitation for an on-site visit scheduled for 16/12/2023, for the “review of completed works” and the “reassessment to determine geometric standards or other elements of the road network based on the recommendations of experts with experience in environmental impact assessment and the design and implementation of roads within protected areas.”
The organizations call on the Ministry to clarify the purpose and scope of the on-site visit scheduled for 16/12/2023.
They emphasize that the on-site visit for inspecting arbitrary construction works, which have already been implemented based on irregular construction plans, is beyond the legitimate process of the SEA.
According to the organizations, the protection status and established procedures for preserving the integrity of Natura 2000 areas have superior legal validity, and these are not negotiable.
They underline that the non-compliance with the legally binding, substantial, and specific terms leaves Akamas, one of the most significant Natura 2000 areas in Cyprus, vulnerable to poor planning and the violation of non-negotiable terms bound to the granted environmental approval.
Moreover, they note that this creates a bad precedent that jeopardizes the integrity and coherence of the protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network throughout Cyprus.
