No sea turtle nests were recorded at Lady’s Mile beach in Limassol this season, the worst year in a decade of monitoring, environmental organisation Terra Cypria said on Friday, accusing the British Bases Administration of failing to enforce the law.
The organisation said it had repeatedly asked the Bases administration to stop illegal activity on the beach and apply the law, but had not received the response or enforcement it expected. It called on the administration to show zero tolerance for any illegal activity from now on and to ensure the nesting beach is properly protected.
Over 130 days of monitoring, Terra Cypria said, it had reported more than 85 events held by some of the area’s restaurants, notifying the Bases in good time, but not one was stopped.
On no day was there full compliance with the legal requirement to remove all sunbeds, umbrellas and tables from the beach between 7pm and 7am, the group said. Heavy sunbeds and other fixtures on the beach were never replaced, it added. Inflatables and water sports such as jet skis were never removed from the area, although they are banned there under current restrictions.
Terra Cypria said it had received no official reply about the lack of enforcement. It added that there was no transparency over whether restaurants at Lady’s Mile were complying with the terms of their operating licences.
The organisation’s volunteers have monitored the beach every morning during the turtle breeding season, from mid-May to the end of September, for the past 10 years. They record nesting attempts, possible nests, the tracks of adult turtles and hatchlings, and the pressures and threats the turtles face. The data is passed straight to the Bases administration so that it can take protection measures.
Read more:
