Filenews 9 July 2021 - by Angelos Nikolaou
Investment in fire prevention, preparedness and response is less than the cost of compensating affected owners, restoring burned areas and restoring ecosystem services, according to official data showing a significant reduction in overall spending on environmental protection in the public sector.
On the occasion of the uncontrolled and destructive fire in the wider area of the mountain communities of Limassol and Larnaca, the Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus (OPOK) stresses the need to recognise wrongs, take responsibility, fill gaps and re-set priorities, both institutionally and socially.
According to the official data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Cyprus, total expenditure on activities and actions related to environmental protection in the public sector has decreased significantly over the last 10 years and over time is below the average of the Member States of the European Union. Particularly important is the fact that, following the large, uncontrolled and destructive fires in the Soleas Valley (Brothers Forest) and the Argakas community (Paphos Forest), total expenditure on environmental protection in the public sector has fallen drastically (from 0.53% of Gross Domestic Product in 2016 to 0.30% in 2019). Annual expenditure is around €100m.
However, according to the most recent data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), for 2019, the Republic of Cyprus is in the penultimate position of the 27 Member States of the European Union in terms of the percentage of Gross Domestic Product, which relates to total expenditure on activities and actions related to environmental protection in the public sector (0.3% in the Republic of Cyprus compared to 0.8% in the European Union). Finland is in the last position of the Member States of the European Union with 0.2%, while the other Mediterranean countries have a much better picture than Cyprus (e.g. Greece and Malta 1.4%).
Especially with regard to the prevention, preparedness and response to large, uncontrolled and destructive fires, the above data show, according to OPEC, that the Solea valley inferno in June 2016 did not become a lesson. It stresses that the coordinated state does not seem to understand that the "investment" in the prevention, preparedness and response of large, uncontrolled and destructive fires is less than the cost of compensating affected owners, restoring burned areas and restoring ecosystem services. In this context, OPEC recommends an immediate and significant increase in overall expenditure on environmental protection in the public sector, with particular emphasis on the protection of biodiversity and the landscape. Priority should be given to the prevention, preparedness and response of large, uncontrolled and destructive fires, the season of which is expected to be extended, and the number, extent and impact of which is expected to increase.
Of human activities, 85% of fires
According to the official statistics of the Department of Forests on forest fires in the period 2000-2020, the causes of causing almost 90% of forest fires are known, while for only 10% of forest fires the causes of challenge remain unknown. In particular, the causes of forest fires are divided into two main categories. Natural fires (from natural causes and mainly lightning) amount to about 15%, while man-made fires (from human activities) amount to about 85%. This demonstrates our enormous responsibility, as a state and society, and the crucial role we have to play collectively in minimising the potential risk of forest fires.
The two main subcategories of man-made fires are distinguished by motive. Voluntary/intentional (intentional) amounts to about 33% and unintentional/unintentional (by negligence) amount to about 67% of man-made fires.
Land use conflict
The conflict of land uses as the structural cause of several malicious fires (arsons), which mainly concerns the following activities:
• Agriculture (e.g. burning of so-called and coastal vegetation in riverside areas to increase agricultural land for exploitation),
• Livestock farming (e.g. burning of forest and woodland to expand grazing areas),
• Hunting (e.g. burning of prohibited hunting areas for the carting of hunting species in similar permitted hunting areas and/or expansion of permitted hunting areas) and
• Development of land (e.g. burning of forest and woodland for the exploitation of private property in designated areas of nature and landscape protection).
Deliberate fires in areas of particular ecological value
With regard to deliberate/deliberate man-made fires (with more recent examples of areas of particular ecological value, which have been integrated into the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, such as the Akamas Peninsula, the Paramal River and the Ha River), OPOK stresses the following:
• Firstly, the need to undertake a zero-tolerance policy against malicious acts and arson.
• Secondly, the need to introduce and impose stricter and more dissuasive penalties for causing deliberate/deliberate man-made fires.
• Thirdly, the strengthening of available financial resources, with a view to the consequent strengthening of human surveillance resources (e.g. increased ground and air patrols), as well as the infrastructure and means of surveillance of large nature and rural protection areas (e.g. adequate coverage of observatories, such as fire extinguishers and observation posts).
