Liopetri River: The addition of the National Forest Park is important for the Natura 2000 Network

Regarding the receipt by the Republic of Cyprus of a reasoned opinion on the adequacy of the Natura 2000 Network in Cyprus, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment in today's announcement notes the following:

• The data of the letter from the European Commission are being carefully studied by the competent services, on the one hand in order to respond with the appropriate documentation and on the other hand in order to intensify the effort to address the weaknesses that have been identified.
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment will take the necessary steps to close any pending case, with the ultimate goal of proper compliance with the acquis and the implementation of the Directives for nature protection in our country.
• With the instructions of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Costas Kadis, the codification of all the weaknesses indicated by the European Commission has already begun, in order to decide the actions to be taken by all the competent services, as well as to set specific timetables for the implementation of these actions. In the coming days, the Minister will convene a meeting of all the Services involved - the Department of Environment, the Department of Forests, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research and the Thera Service - to coordinate the actions to be taken, as well as to prepare the response. to be sent to the European Commission.

In the context of the implementation of the Nature Directives (Habitats & Birds), the European Commission may identify weaknesses or even incorrect application of the relevant legislation in the Member States and initiate infringement proceedings against the Member State. This process begins with the sending of a letter of formal notice, in which the Member State may clarify the facts or even comply with the Commission's instructions.

Significant progress in recent years

In recent years, the Republic of Cyprus has taken several actions regarding the adequacy of the Natura 2000 Network, by expanding areas and collecting additional scientific data, through mapping and monitoring, regarding the terrestrial Sites of Community Importance. In this context, in the last two years it has been possible to complete the Natura 2000 Network with the addition of "Liopetri River National Forest Park", the expansion of the "Rizoelia National Forest Park" and the unification of four fragmented forest areas in Paphos, which now make up the new "Paphos Forest".

At the same time, significant progress has been made on marine sites of Community importance, including the necessary scientific research, which is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed in the coming years. At the same time, the inclusion of the "Oceanis" area as a Site of Community Importance, fills gaps for Natura 2000 marine areas. Management measures in the Natura 2000 Marine Network are also expected to be strengthened, including effective surveillance and monitoring activities.

These actions covered a number of important issues that the Republic of Cyprus had in relation to the adoption of the provisions of the relevant EU Directives.

The major deficiencies identified by the European Commission concern the designation and protection of coastal and offshore areas and species, both in Places of Community Importance and in Special Bird Protection Areas. The designation of suitable marine areas for birds in the Cyprus EEZ is treated as a matter of priority and particular importance. For this purpose, the implementation of specialized studies for the collection of the necessary data has already begun, in order to identify and determine sea areas for birds within the Cyprus EEZ. These are time-consuming and costly studies, which have never been carried out before in the sea waters of Cyprus.

Famagusta.News