File: Akama Local Plan – Myths and Truths

TRUTH: No roads, whether main or secondary, will be paved. Especially for the special road network of special status that develops outside the development limit, in order to connect each community with the entrances of the Akama National Forest Park, uncontrolled development rights will not be given due to the proximity to the road. For this reason, safeguards have been introduced to prevent scattered construction.

Particularly within the Akama SAR, it is envisaged to improve the road network in an environmentally friendly way and not asphalt paving. It also provides for the closure of tens of kilometers of illegally opened roads that are now fragmenting the natural ecosystem.

& gt; Defining New Development Zones

The Akama National Forest Park area includes some of the most important spawning beaches of both the loggerhead turtle and the green turtle, which are defining species for the Natura 2000 Network area of ​​the Akama Peninsula. Specifically, in the area of ​​Lara and Toxeftra beaches, both species of turtles give birth, with annual variations in the number of nests, which is a typical standard for sea turtles. & Nbsp;

Immediate harassment is limited to the area as spawning beaches are unorganized (no-night ban, no umbrellas and beach furniture, no beach sports), and measures have been taken to prevent wheeled vehicles from accessing the beach. In addition, at the Lara Information Center, guests are informed about the activities that should be avoided on the beach for the effective protection of the nests. Finally, the special cages that are placed on the nests for protection from foxes, provide additional protection from possible anthropogenic nuisance. With regard to the movement of boats and fishing, by Decree of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the passage and mooring of boats in the area (with the exception of holders of small-scale professional licenses) is prohibited from May to October (spawning season) every year. & nbsp;

MYTH: Akamas will be filled with hotel units and other developments that will serve big financial interests, especially in the coastal area of ​​Lara/Toxeftra as well as in the fillets of famous owners near the coastline.

TRUTH: In the area of ​​the Natura 2000 network, which includes the Akama SAR and the surrounding area and occupies an area of ​​more than 100 sq.m. km, the possibility of any development is virtually zero. Within the SAR, basic forest infrastructure will be created for the proper management of the large number of visitors (information, awareness and guidance areas for visitors, sanitary facilities, etc.). Small tourist areas are envisaged peripherally of the communities, as an extension of the existing development limit. Regarding the proposed & nbsp; Inia Tourist Zone, which is widely discussed, it is more than six kilometers (in a straight line) from the turtle spawning beaches. In this area it is proposed to build buildings up to two floors. In order to avoid possible negative consequences of light pollution, the Plan under preparation proposes the adoption of strict lighting control measures, in accordance with international practice. The purpose of the measures is for the buildings not to emit direct light towards the spawning beaches and to limit the minimum and diffuse lighting.

The development of infrastructure in the proposed tourist area of ​​Ineia is to be implemented outside the area of ​​the NATURA 2000 network and is proposed, taking into account the objective of conserving the priority species of Directive 92/43/EEC on the shores of Lara: (a) to be adapted to its landscape (b) be made with environmentally friendly building materials, (c) do not involve bulky growth, and (d) do not involve disturbing growth in terms of turtle spawning areas, applying strict lighting conditions. >

Ineia Tourist Zone

Based on a recent decision of the Urban Planning Council, the Tourist Zone of Inia will not be considered a development limit for the purposes of implementing any form of development outside the limit, including the individual residence. Therefore, the concerns and the prediction of “indirect, synergistic and cumulative effects, extending the boundaries of development and potential areas for the construction of individual houses, visitable farms, dairies, wineries and fruit packers”, are not really based on data.

It is noted that the community of Inia had requested the inclusion in the TSA of three tourist areas on the front that extends from the community to Lara, in places where there used to be development rights. With the proposed tourist zone, the requests of Ineia are satisfied by less than 10%. & Nbsp;

Finally, no development or expansion/designation of a new Development Zone is proposed nor will it be included in the TSA on coastal fronts, nor within the wider area of ​​the NATURA 2000 network, regardless of the ownership status of the plots. & nbsp;

Androlykou Quarry Zone

MYTH: The proposed new quarry zone in Androlykou will negatively affect the & nbsp; fruit colony of Petrati Gorge. The noise from the quarrying works and the vibrations from the explosions will eventually lead to the abandonment of this cave that hosts the largest colony of Cyprus. Quarrying will destroy the naturalness of the landscape, with the risk of the gorge collapsing.

TRUE: In order to ensure the preservation of this unique colony of night owl in the area of ​​Androlykou, it was proposed to shrink the proposed location of the quarry zone. Specifically, it was proposed that the expansion of the quarry zone stops downstream of the neighboring gorge (east of Petrati), so that on the one hand the nearest distance of the quarry zone from Petrati cave exceeds 800 meters and on the other hand the vibration and activity from the storm to be interrupted by the hilly volume, on the west side of which is the colony cave. In addition, special quarry development management measures will be implemented, such as the use of explosive low noise emissions, the installation of a vibrator and the systematic monitoring of the nightshade colony in the Petrati gorge, with strict observance of the minimum acceptable size limits.

Sustainable Development Plan of the National Forest Park

The specific Plan is an independent process that is evolving in parallel with the creation of the TSA, since it concerns actions that are implemented within the National Forest Park, ie within the State Forest Land. By Decision No. 80.041 of 11.01.2016, the Council of Ministers decided to approve the measures for the preservation, protection and promotion of the area, as well as the service of its visitors, as recorded in the Management Plan of the Natura 2000 Network area “Akama Peninsula”. & Nbsp;

The vision pursued by the Akama Sustainable Development Plan: “By 2028, the Akama National Forest Park will be the national standard for effective management of protected areas in Cyprus. In Akamas, the long-term conservation of biodiversity, natural heritage and related cultural values ​​will be ensured by integrating sustainable development as a primary means of achieving the region's conservation, conservation and promotion goals, gaining national and local support, and offering local communities, achieving its economic viability and providing a unique experience to its visitors, all within the framework of the Natura 2000 network “.

can be divided into two categories:

& nbsp; (a) in infrastructure and

& nbsp; (b) in other administrative and organizational actions and conservation actions.

& nbsp; The infrastructure provided in the Plan is the points of facilities of the visitors and the improvement of the road network. The interventions in the road network mainly include projects for the improvement of part of the forest road network in an environmentally friendly way, 58.7 km long, which connects the main points of the park and the improvement of the access roads to the SAR from the local Communities, length 27.45 Other 4.6 km of roads will be cut off, while more than 100 km of illegal and arbitrary roads will be removed, in order to protect the natural ecosystems of the area. No significant infrastructure will be constructed, other than very small interventions typical of a forest park, such as sights, points of interest and trails. & Nbsp;

and Environment 22 Micro-stocks and 7 Forest monuments, areas with a special protection regime, in which active measures are sought to preserve the important elements of biodiversity that they host.