The Environmental Authority has given the green light for the upgrade of the forest road from the Baths of Aphrodite to Kakoskali in Akamas. The Department of Environment, following today's decision to proceed with the issuance of a Special Ecological Assessment Report, is now called upon to issue the final Reasoned Finding, which is the last pending stage for the start of the works.
It is noted that in recent years, fatal accidents, as well as serious injuries, have been recorded, with four-wheeled motorcycles and buggy vehicles, on the main forest road from the Baths of Aphrodite to the Amorosa Fountain, which leads to the "Blue Lagoon" beach.
The Report notes that the improvement of the road will allow the faster and safer intervention of the fire brigades in the event of a fire incident in the northern part of the Akamas National Forest Park (SAR), as well as the safer evacuation of visitors to the Park. In addition, it will allow the safe movement of services that use the area as well as visitors.
According to the Environmental Authority, "after assessing the potential impacts, there are not expected to be permanent, irreversible impacts on the species and habitats of the area, and for this reason the project can proceed for implementation".
To ensure the mitigation of the impacts, the Environmental Authority set a total of 20 conditions for the implementation of the project. These conditions include:
• The limitation of work to the minimum possible range.
• The prohibition of rubble disposal within the Natura 2000 area.
• The obligation to prepare monthly reports for the peak months (June-September) for the years 2026 and 2027.
• The interruption of the safety parapet in places where trees or shrubs are found.
The Department of Environment notes that it will control the implementation of the works in accordance with the terms.
The report states that the improvement of the road will result in a loss of 0.08 hectares of the habitat 'Juniper Shrubland' (5210). Also, individuals of rough pine, invisible and other species are expected to be directly affected, while the area that will be improved falls within the territory of Bonelli's eagle.
Essentially, the Environmental Authority adopted the proposal of the Department of Forests for the improvement of an existing road with a total length of 1,800 meters. The project includes point widenings over a total length of 430 meters, so that the final width rises to 5 meters (4.5 m for road surface and 0.5 m for safety parapet). The aim of the upgrade is to ensure faster intervention of the Fire Brigade and safer movement of visitors.
Despite the conditions, the project is met with strong reactions from members of the Ad-hoc committee:
The organization Terra Cypria is strongly negative, noting that the project is coming back despite previous rejections and brings about substantial modifications to the technical characteristics that had been agreed.
BirdLife Cyprus expresses its opposition, stressing that the road should be closed to the public and operate only with a shuttle service, as originally planned in 2021.
The Game and Fauna Service emphasizes the need for the work to be carried out preferably between September and December for the protection of fauna.
