According to Mr. Kougialis, the proposal includes five points, including the immediate promotion of the procedures for the declaration of the state forest and all state property, which fall within the Natura 2000 network, in a national forest park, and the adoption and implementation of the measures of conservation and protection of nature and the measures of promotion of the natural environment of the area, as they are recorded in the second draft for the Management Plan, which has been put in consultation.
The Minister of Agriculture underlined in his statements that the decision taken by the Ministry does not shrink the boundaries of the Natura 2000 Network at all, does not give any development rights to large or small owners and ensures equal treatment of owners small and large.
"This decision paves the way for effective protection of the area. "For the first time, substantial measures will begin to be taken, which will regulate the activities that are harmful to the environment", he noted.
He also stressed that this "is the first decision of the Council of Ministers, which does not refer by name to a large owner. "All the previous decisions of the Councils of Ministers referred to large landowners and even said how they should be compensated", he pointed out.
There is currently no possibility of financial compensation nor the possibility of exchanging property. This is indicated by the Auditor General in his letter. Any exchange of property or payment of compensation selectively to specific owners will create a problem of equal treatment of citizens, said the Minister of Agriculture.
Asked about the value of property in the area, he said he could not say for sure what the value was. "Different numbers have been heard. "It is estimated that the value of private property in that area is half a billion euros," he said.
The five points included in the proposal are:
Adoption and implementation of the measures of conservation and protection of nature and the measures of promotion of the natural environment of the area, as they are recorded in the second draft for the Management Plan, which has been put in consultation. These measures apply to the entire region for both private and state lands
- The immediate promotion of the procedures for the declaration of the state forest and the entire state property, which fall within the NATURA 2000 network, in a national forest park
- The hiring of a specialized consultant with the shortest, within the framework of the law, process to plan and suggest ways of utilization of the national forest park, but also to examine and suggest ways of unified management of the whole area, which falls within the NATURA 2000 Network
- `Like the Department of Urban Planning and Housing of the Ministry of Interior review the existing urban planning of the area and prepare a local plan which must be completed in 18 months and this concerns the entire area of Akamas and
- The review of the previous relevant decisions of the Councils of Ministers in relation to the new data as they have been formed today.
"We believe that this decision paves the way for effective protection of the area. "For the first time, substantial measures will be taken to regulate environmentally harmful activities and I am talking about uncontrolled entry, I am talking about safari, I am talking about overgrazing and generally any activities that create problems in the environment and destroy biodiversity," he said. Mr. Kougialis.
He expressed the certainty that "with the faithful implementation of the European directive governing the NATURA 2000 Network and with the measures that will be taken immediately in private and state properties, we can protect the environment effectively".
"With this decision, the limits of the NATURA 2000 Network are not shrunk at all, no development rights are given to large or small owners and the equal treatment of small and large owners is ensured", he pointed out.
Answering a question, Mr. Kougialis stated that "our vision is the creation of a national forest park, which will promote the protection of the environment, but also a sustainable management of the entire region, with the aim of revitalizing the communities."
"The Akamas area was an area that in the past had 22-23 thousand inhabitants while today only three thousand people live in this area. "The area has fallen into disrepair and we believe that through this rational management of the area and the protection of the environment, the whole area can be revitalized", he pointed out.
Answering another question, Mr. Kougialis said that he has spoken with both the communities and the environmental organizations. "What I want to emphasize is that there is a very strict and effective directive that governs the areas that have been designated as Natura 2000. "This is generally accepted, it has been acknowledged by all the Members of the Committee on the Environment and all environmental organizations, and I have told environmental organizations that the opening of this Directive is currently being discussed in the EU so that it can be relaxed."
"We as the Republic of Cyprus, because we believe that this Directive is strict and effective and protects the environment, have joined those who do not want the opening of this Directive," he said, adding that this Directive provides the regulatory framework, a strong legal framework to protect the whole area ”and“ this must be understood by environmental organizations ”.
"In recent days, they have talked about decisions that favor some people. I would like to emphasize that this is the first decision of the Council of Ministers, which does not refer to a large owner by name. "All the previous decisions of the Councils of Ministers referred to large landowners and even said how they should be compensated", the Minister of Agriculture pointed out.
He noted that "there is currently no possibility of financial compensation nor the possibility of exchanging property. This is indicated by the Auditor General in his letter. "Any exchange of property or payment of compensation selectively to specific owners will create a problem of equal treatment of citizens," he said.
Mr. Kougialis pointed out that 28% of the land of the free Republic of Cyprus is included in the Nature 2000 Network and about 14% belongs to individuals. "So the state can not selectively compensate some and not compensate others. That is why I believe that this decision ensures the equal treatment of the citizens ", he noted.
At the same time, the Minister gave instructions to the Departments of Environment and Forests to immediately issue the decrees that will allow the taking of nature protection measures on private and state lands, in the area of Akamas, according to information from KYPE.
Also, Mr. Kougialis gave instructions for the start of the procedures both for the proclamation of a National Forest Park and for the assignment to a specialized house for the design of the Park.
Mr. Kougialis' instructions were given after the adoption today by the Council of Ministers of the proposal of the Ministerial Committee concerning the Akamas region.
Letter of protest from Akama friends
The organization "Friends of Akama" expresses strong opposition to any intention to build in the NATURA 2000 area in Akamas, in a letter to the President of the Republic, submitted yesterday before the Ministerial meeting.
The environmental organization also opposes the possible creation of a public road network and refers to the "stated intention" of the Minister of Environment to allow construction, paving the way for the construction of tourist and private facilities "in violation of national and European legislation".
"In this way, the Minister will lay the tombstone of Akamas, thus destroying a comparative advantage that the communities of the region now have, which they are already using in part for the economic development of all, and not the few," the letter reads.
Source: KYPE