AKEL on the Akamas Management Plan
Statement by the Environmental Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 19th January 2017, Nicosia
Unfortunately, the government has failed yet again to put forth a comprehensive proposal for the region of Akamas, despite the efforts of experts and relevant departments to create a proper management plan.
The management plan that is currently the subject of consultation concerns only state land, hence the eternal problem of the private regions within the Natura 2000 network remains open. More specifically, the NATURA 2000 area of the region of Akamas is 17,914 hectares and 7,762 hectares have been incorporated in the plan. That is to say, approximately 25% of the virgin land have been excluded from the plan, a fact that raises many questions, but also generates concerns among all the people. What will happen in the periphery of the region of Akamas? What planning incentives will be given? The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment has repeatedly spoken in the past about mild developments outside the state forest area. Was this perhaps the reason why his mandate was that the study should only concern state land?
The Akamas peninsula hosts numerous and significant ecological, historical and economic elements and the combination of all of them in the area makes it a unique landscape in Cyprus and Europe. Our sole concern should have been to safeguard its protection. As AKEL we are at the same time listening to the concerns, but also to the demand of the owners of land that their rights should be safeguarded, something for which a solution must be found.
Stavros Malas has from the very beginning set the protection of the region of Akamas peninsula among his priorities and the elaboration of a Green and Sustainable Development Plan is the first step in this direction. Stavros Malas will pay special attention so that through the implementation of horizontal and targeted policies citizens’ quality of life will be enhanced and upgraded, whilst at the same time safeguarding the protection and sustainable development of our country’s environment.
