REACTIONS TO AKAMAS ROAD - Pafos Live 7/5
The reaction of the Ecological Intervention "Friends of Akamas" was provoked by the latest Special Ecological Assessment Report for the improvement of the road "Baths of Aphrodite - Kakoskali" in the Akamas National Forest Park, with the organization denouncing the violation of binding terms and calling for the immediate revocation of the relevant decision, in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the organization, the report "circumvents" legally binding terms of previous evaluations and ignores the recommendations of the competent ad hoc Committee.As reported, the forest road Baths of Aphrodite – Fontana Amoroza should already have been closed to the private vehicles of visitors to the Akamas National Forest Park, based on the terms of the Park's Sustainable Development Plan. Instead, it is noted that the findings of this report favour the increased traffic of private vehicles, including safari vehicles, with an impact on the environment and visitor safety.
The organization points out that banning private vehicles would help reduce the environmental footprint, fire risk and maintenance costs, while enhancing sustainable mobility and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. At the same time, he characterizes as "absurd" the argument of the Departments of Forests and Environment that upgrading the road serves firefighting, noting that, on the contrary, it will increase the risk of fires, due to greater access of vehicles.
In conclusion, the "Friends of Akamas" call on the competent authorities to reconsider the decision and proceed with measures that ensure the protection of the area.
