The extensive violations reported in the Akamas peninsula during the past few weeks have sparked public outrage.
In an interview with in-cyprus, Klitos Papastylianou, representing the Initiative for the Protection of the Natural Coastline of Cyprus, explores the limitations of the existing Akamas Sustainable Development Plan, describes the environmental damage that has so far taken place, and outlines the measures he views as necessary to preserve the unique landscape and biodiversity of the peninsula.
*Papastylianou is an environmental sociologist and activist. He has been a member of the Ad-hoc Committee for Special Ecological Assessment during the evaluation of the Sustainable Development Plan for the Akamas National Forest Park.
What was the background that led to the Akamas National Forest Park (NFP) Sustainable Development Plan?
Unlike the Management Plans, as well as the Protection and Management Decrees of the Natura 2000 protected areas, the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas National Forest Park (NFP) is not provided for by any provision of the applicable legislation of the Republic of Cyprus and/or a Directive of the European Union.
The preparation, adoption, and implementation of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP is the result of a series of decisions of the Council of Ministers, which were taken between 2016 and 2022.
Essentially, instead of the previous government proceeding with the implementation of the appropriate measures included in the Management Plans and the adoption of the necessary Protection and Management Decrees of the Natura 2000 protected areas, as required by the harmonising legislation of the Republic of Cyprus and the EU directives on nature protection, the previous government decided to proceed with the preparation, adoption and implementation of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akama NFP.
The main objective of this plan is to regulate tourism and recreational activities within the Akamas NFP. In summary, the Sustainable Development Plan for the Akama NFP envisages the improvement of 11 main forest roads, as well as the creation of 14 infrastructure and visitor hubs, ranging from information signs, benches and restrooms to parking areas, playgrounds, refreshment facilities and souvenir shops.
As it presently stands, does the Akamas NFP Sustainable Development Plan address sufficiently existing and potential threats to the biodiversity characterising the Akamas Peninsula?
No, the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP does not adequately address the existing pressures and threats to the biodiversity of the Akamas Peninsula.
On the contrary, as is evident from the violation of several important and legally binding and essential conditions of the environmental approval of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP, the plan in question effectively brings about even more pressures and threats to the species of designation, the conservation objectives and the integrity of the protected areas of the Natura 2000 network.
It is worth noting that the Akamas NFP covers only 75% of the total territory of the Natura 2000 protected areas on the Akamas Peninsula, as the remaining 25% comprises private land. According to the decision of the Council of Ministers, dated 11/01/2016, which provides for the preparation of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP, it is envisaged that “the entire area, which falls within the boundaries of the Natura 2000 protected areas will be managed in a unified manner, within the framework of the legal obligations of the Republic in relation to relevant European Union Directives”.
Taking into account the provisions of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP, in no way does it ensure the uniform management of the Natura 2000 protected areas. Moreover, most of the infrastructure, functions and activities, rather than being located in the periphery of the protected area, are located in its core, resulting in even more pressures and threats to the Natura 2000 protected areas.
The example of the Lara-Toxeftra Marine Protected Area, which is a Biogenetic Reserve and the only Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance in the whole of Cyprus, is indicative of this.
During the past weeks, we have seen images of environmental destruction connected to the implementation of the Akamas NFP Sustainable Development Plan, leading to widespread outrage. What are the violations that are taking place and what ecological impact are they having on Akamas?
The most important violations of the legally binding conditions of the environmental approval of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP concern the non-submission of the road network improvement project to a Due Diligence Assessment of the impacts on the conservation objectives of the Natura 2000 Network sites; the non-issuance of the necessary Protection and Management Decrees for the Natura 2000 Network sites; the non-adherence to the implementation schedules of the road network improvement project; the creation of a long open construction site instead of the partial implementation of the road network improvement project; and the creation of a large open construction site instead of the partial implementation of the construction works.
Furthermore, we can note also the widening and asphalting of the road connecting the Municipality of Peyia with the Natura 2000 Network areas; the unauthorised construction of retaining walls along protected landscapes and landforms; the continuation of the illegal operation of unlicensed restaurants and cafes along the nesting beaches of sea turtles, within and near the Marine Protected Area of Lara-Toxeftra; and the uncontrolled depositing of materials and waste from excavation, construction and demolition work on undisturbed soil and natural vegetation.
Additional violations further include the carrying out of unauthorised earthworks in environmentally sensitive and strictly protected areas; the unauthorised widening and excavation along main forest roads; the use of unlicensed heavy motor vehicles, etc.
The impact of all these infringements should be assessed through a specific and independent restoration study. The impacts should be determined on a case-by-case and project-by-project basis, depending on their nature, scale and location, taking into account the legally binding and essential conditions of the environmental permit.
Construction in Akamas was temporarily halted until December 18, while the government declared its intention to reassess the implementation of the Akamas NFP Sustainable Development Plan. To what extent do you view these developments as sufficient to revert existing ecological damage, and safeguard Akamas?
Indeed, according to official statements by government officials, the temporarily frozen road works are due to start after 18 December. In our opinion, as environmental organisations, but also as experts who participated in the evaluation of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akama NFP and were the first to denounce the violation of legally binding and essential conditions of the environmental approval, this is a huge mistake.
Before the resumption of work, and precisely because of the breach of conditions and the additional impact on the area, what is most important at present is the implementation of corrective measures and actions to remedy the environmental damage that has already been caused.
The next priority is to carry out a full reassessment and redesign of the projects, where necessary, in order to avoid the same mistakes. The immediate resumption of road works is a completely unjustified, hasty and wrong move, which is likely to bring even more pressure and threats to species and habitats of designation, conservation objectives and the integrity of the protected areas of the Natura 2000 area network.
How can a plan for Akamas balance protecting the environment with ensuring that residents have the means to make a living?
In our opinion, both as environmental organisations and as expert evaluators of the Sustainable Development Plan of the Akamas NFP, the management and visitor service infrastructure hubs should be located in the periphery and not in the core area of the Natura 2000 protected areas.
In simpler terms, they should be located close to local communities and not in the middle of nowhere. In this way, local communities will be able to receive revenue and benefit financially from the provision of catering and recreational services to visitors to the area.
In addition, instead of encouraging the use of private vehicles within the Akamas NFP, the provision of organised visitor transport services in Akamas NFP vehicles by the local communities and local residents themselves can be promoted, so that more jobs are created which are directly linked to the design and operation of the Akamas NFP.
At the same time, instead of setting up souvenir shops on state-owned forest land within the Akamas NFP, they could be set up within the development limits of the adjacent villages and managed by the local communities themselves, offering, among other things, local products of designated origin, supporting local producers.
Which steps should be taken to safeguard and preserve the Akamas Peninsula as a natural heritage?
The Akamas Peninsula is probably the last, relatively untouched, coastal forest area remaining in Cyprus. It is an integral part of our common natural and cultural heritage. The whole of the Akamas Peninsula should be declared as a national park, a biosphere reserve, or a protected area with comparable international protection status.
In this framework, the construction of scattered developments and incompatible projects in the Akamas Peninsula should be prohibited. Any catering, leisure and overnight infrastructure must be located within the designated development limits of the local communities, making local inhabitants the main beneficiaries of the peninsula’s sustainable development. Moreover, all unlicenced interventions and harmful activities should be terminated, while at the same time, all illegal developments should be demolished and environmental damage should be restored, within and/or adjacent to the Akamas NFP and the Natura 2000 protected areas.
Furthermore, a holistic and integrated management of the whole area that falls within the boundaries of the Natura 2000 Network should be adopted, based on the legal obligations of the Republic of Cyprus, as these are foreseen through the relevant EU Directives and international conventions. The aim of this management framework should be the effective formulation and implementation of policies and measures for the conservation of nature and biodiversity, the protection of landscape and cultural heritage, the sustainable development of the local communities, as well as the integrated management of the Akamas Peninsula as a whole.
In addition, the state should expropriate enclaved private properties within the Akamas NFP and declare them as state forest land, based on existing legislation. In parallel, the competent authorities should immediately establish the necessary conservation measures, as these are already set out in the appropriate Management Plans so that these conservation measures become legally binding.
Finally, the state should implement maintenance and improvement works for the existing road network, based on the management measures and the provisions foreseen in the Management Plans of the Natura 2000 areas. These measures and provisions should include the prohibition of asphalt paving, expansion of public infrastructure networks (such as electricity, sewerage, and water supply), registration of existing forest roads in the public road network, as well as the prohibition of paving new roads and registering existing unregistered roads.
Indeed, the adoption and implementation of all these measures may seem something difficult to achieve, but as Murray Bookchin – a key thinker of social ecology – aptly puts it: “If we do not do the impossible, we shall be faced with the unthinkable”. And we do not have the ‘luxury’ of sacrificing the Akamas Peninsula on the altar of rampant development and easy profit-making.
Read more:
