AKAMAS OPEN CONSTRUCTION SITE WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY - Filenews 23/3
Environmental organizations are harshly accusing the Department of Forests of "complete inaction, lack of accountability and systematic violation of environmental terms".
With their joint intervention today, BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria and the Federation of Environmental Organizations of Cyprus speak of two years of lost promises, where the most important Natura 2000 area of the island remains a "vast construction site" without substantial management.
The crisis began in October 2023, when serious violations in Phase A of the road network were reported by the Department of Forests. Despite the intervention of the President of the Republic at the time and the two decisions of the Council of Ministers (December 2023 and March 2024) to re-evaluate and improve the environmental footprint, the organizations claim that nothing has been implemented.
"The silence of the Ministry can no longer be perceived as a simple delay," they say, complaining that their letters to the Minister of Agriculture have remained unanswered for months.
One of the thorniest issues raised by the organizations is the complete obfuscation around administrative and disciplinary investigations.
According to them, three administrative and one disciplinary investigation into the violations in Akamas have been completed. They complain that no investigation has been made public, while despite assurances of transparency, no executive or department has been called to account.
Environmental bodies point their arrows directly at the Department of Forests, accusing it of "systematically ignoring" the suggestions of the other authorities. As an example, they cite the Aphrodite Baths – Fontana Amorosa road, where instead of the agreed access restriction, the Department of Forests is reportedly asking for further widening with "pretextual excuses".
As a result, they note, today the environmental degradation continues, there is the operation of illegal refreshment stands, the complete absence of nature protection decrees and the non-implementation of the rules of operation of the park that had been promised for the end of 2024.
In a letter dated March 16, 2026, the organizations call on the Minister of Agriculture to take political responsibility, noting that the Ministry has failed to enforce compliance on the Department of Forests. They call for the immediate implementation of the legally binding terms and the completion of the re-evaluation of the Plan before the damage becomes irreversible.
