The several weaknesses of the management system of the marine protected areas were highlighted by the audit carried out by the Audit Office in the framework of a coordinated audit with the Supreme Audit Institutions of six other European countries. The purpose of the audit was to record and evaluate the actions of government agencies for the protection of marine biodiversity.
According to the Report of the Office, the European Commission estimates that for 65% of the marine species and habitats of Community interest found in Cyprus it is necessary to determine additional areas "Natura 2000" so that the Network in the country is considered complete, while for 13% of species and habitats requires further scientific research to identify suitable sites for inclusion in the Network.
Weaknesses include the absence of a unified national strategy in Cyprus for the management of marine protected areas and the preparation of separate strategic documents that may lead to fragmentation of the Republic's efforts to protect the areas and species and habitats found in them. In addition, in the individual strategic documents that have been prepared, there is an absence of quantified objectives and schedules.
According to the Report, anthropogenic activities on land and in the coastal zone are a significant risk for the marine protected areas in Cyprus, a fact that does not seem to be adequately assessed in the vulnerability and risk assessments carried out by the competent bodies. Also, the risk in the marine protected areas from the growing coastal tourism activities does not seem to have been assessed.
For the marine protected areas "Islands" and "Moulia", the Report states that no Management Plans have been finalized, while for the marine areas of Cape Greco and Akama no Nature Management and Management Decree has been issued, thus not providing the legal basis. for the implementation of measures for the protection of the marine environment.
Specifically, for the Akamas Peninsula region, the involvement of four different actors and the preparation of five different land and sea management plans, based on different legislation, poses risks of weaknesses in coordination, implementation of plans and their effectiveness.
The Agency notes that in most of them, the objectives of the Akamas Site Management Plan of Community Importance are not measurable, making it difficult to achieve the expected results of the Plan.
Despite the preparation of the Akamas Site Management Plan, the measures contained therein do not appear to be binding, with the exception of those already in place prior to the preparation of the Plan.
Based on the findings of the audit, the measures included in the Management Plan of the Cape Greco area are not specific enough, their implementation is not sufficiently defined and they are not evaluated in financial terms. The Schedule for the validity of the Plan is set at five years, which has elapsed without the planned evaluation being carried out.
At the same time, the monitoring of marine protected areas by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research can not be adequately documented, as patrol data are not readily available and incomplete information is kept. There is a significant weakness in the mechanism for implementing the restrictions and other provisions in force in marine protected areas due to a significant reduction in the number of patrols conducted annually and the hours they are conducted.
The general assessments of marine fauna and habitats show improvement over time, however the conservation status of all the marine fauna species examined is characterized as "insufficient", while the conservation status of the marine caves remains unknown.
Regarding the recommendations of the Agency, among the main ones is the promotion of actions by the competent Departments of Environment and Fisheries and Marine Research for the definition of new or expansion of the existing marine areas of the "Natura 2000" Network, in order to achieve the desired degree of and habitats of Community interest.
It is also the preparation of a single strategic document for all categories of marine protected areas that have been identified, which includes specific, measurable objectives and implementation schedules as well as the assessment of risks from coastal developments and ecotourism activities in order to design measures for them. .
Furthermore, the Agency recommends the promotion of the designation of the Cape Greco and Akama Areas as Special Conservation Zones and the issuance of Management and Nature Protection Decrees for all marine protected areas, the improvement of the Management Plans prepared for the Akama and Cape Greco areas, with specification of objectives, definition of responsibilities and timetable and assessment of the financial cost of implementation of the proposed measures.
Source: KYPE