Five environmental organisations have written an open letter to President Christodoulides calling on the government to honour commitments on nature protection and biodiversity, citing Cyprus’s ongoing EU infringement proceedings, delays in implementing decisions on the Akamas National Forest Park, and repeated failures to provide environmental information to the public.
The letter, dated 7 May and addressed to the President with copies to the Ministers of Agriculture and Interior and a range of departmental heads, was signed by BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria, Cyprus Wildlife Society, Friends of the Earth Cyprus and the Initiative for the Protection of Natural Coasts.
EU infringement proceedings
The organisations say Cyprus is currently facing three active infringement proceedings brought by the European Commission over the systematic misapplication of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (2009/147/EC). The proceedings concern the inadequate designation of the Natura 2000 network, inadequate protection and management of Natura 2000 sites, and inadequate Appropriate Assessment procedures.
One of the three proceedings — concerning the failure to issue the required Protection and Management Decrees for all Natura 2000 sites — was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union in March 2024, the organisations said.
They called on the government to extend or add new land and marine areas to the Natura 2000 network, issue the required decrees for all protected sites, and improve environmental assessment procedures.
Akamas
The organisations said the Akamas National Forest Park — which covers only state forest land and accounts for 75% of the total Natura 2000 protected area on the Akamas peninsula — remains a particular concern.
They noted that the President himself ordered a halt to Phase A road improvement works within the park in December 2023 after serious violations and mishandling were identified. Subsequent Council of Ministers decisions dated 20 December 2023 and 19 March 2024 required the redesign and reassessment of all phases and works of the Akamas Sustainable Development Plan, but the organisations said these decisions have not been implemented and no new timeline has been provided.
They also said illegal unlicensed structures — including restaurants and refreshment facilities in the Lara Bay South, Aspros Potamos and Avakas Gorge areas, as well as unlicensed agricultural and livestock premises on the fringes of the park — continue to operate within or near Natura 2000 protected areas on the Akamas peninsula.
The organisations called on the government to enforce the legally binding conditions of the environmental approval for the Akamas Sustainable Development Plan, remove illegal structures, restore damaged natural habitat and publish a new timeline for all outstanding works.
They also noted that legislation enabling the imposition of deterrent out-of-court fines for violations of the Nature and Wildlife Protection Law has not yet been submitted to parliament by the Agriculture Ministry.
Access to environmental information
The letter also raises what the organisations describe as a pattern of authorities failing to provide environmental information to the public, despite legal obligations under the Cyprus Constitution, the Aarhus Convention and domestic legislation.
Three specific cases are cited: a hierarchical appeal filed by Terra Cypria in July 2024 after being denied data on two strictly protected bat species found in Cyprus; an appeal filed by Terra Cypria and BirdLife Cyprus at the Administrative Court in March 2025 after being refused access to the environmental approval for a wind farm in the community of Kellia, Larnaca district, within and adjacent to the Natura 2000 Special Protection Area of Kosia-Pallourókampos; and a series of letters sent since June 2024 by Terra Cypria, BirdLife Cyprus and the Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus regarding implementation of the Akamas Sustainable Development Plan, to which no substantive response has been received.
The organisations asked the President to ensure that relevant authorities provide environmental information to any applicant without requiring them to demonstrate a specific interest.
