The Akamas Cyprus – Is this Property Speculation with the National Park?
Akamas – A Paradise Under Siege - a mantra for the Akamas Cyprus National Park by the Cyprus Green Party
http://home.clara.net/heureka/cyprus/akamas.htm
The Akamas Peninsula is in the far west of Cyprus at its most westerly point. Named after the son of Theseus, hero of the Trojan Wars and founder of the city-kingdom of Soli.
The Akamas Peninsula is an area of outstanding natural beauty – deep gorges, a wild landscape, wide sandy bays. It is also an area of great biodiversity and ecological significance. Home to 530 plant species, a third of the total for Cyprus, 126 of which are endemic to Cyprus. An unspoilt wild place thanks to its inaccessibility.
Cyprus sits at the crossroads of three major flora zones – Europe, Africa and Asia. As a consequence Cyprus has a high number of plant species, 1750, of which 127 are endemic. The number of species found on Akamas runs to approximately 530, of which 33 are endemic. The variety of fauna is equally impressive – 168 birds, 12 mammals, 20 reptiles and 16 butterfly species.
Almost all the geological strata found on Cyprus is represented in Akamas. This coupled with the varied topography has led to a wide variety of microclimates which in turn has led to the large biodiversity and sheer natural beauty of the area.
At Lara Bay, an important turtle breeding site. Home to two endangered turtle species – green turtle and hawks-bill turtle.
The importance of the Akamas Peninsula is recognised far beyond the shores of Cyprus. The European Council has included the Akamas Peninsula within its Mediterranean protection programme. In a report, commissioned by the Cyprus Government and financed by the World Bank, it was recommended that the Akamas Peninsula be treated as a Biosphere Reserve which would include a large National Park area.
Within Cyprus, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have campaigned hard for the Akamas Peninsula to be declared a National Park.
The Akamas Peninsula is under threat, property developers whose eyes are dazzled by dollars at the thought of the last bit of unspoilt Cyprus awaiting exploitation, the Greek Orthodox Church who believe they have a God given right to exploit the land they own and the British Military, who in a throwback to colonial days, use it for military training.
There have been several articles running in the Cyprus Press recently regarding the new Akamas Plan being considered by the Cyprus cabinet.
Comment
This is a broad summary of the articles from which seemed to me that both villagers and land speculators both had vested interests in seeing building development in the National Park. But the Government has said NO to both camps.
Several weeks ago it was reported that questions were being asked whether private companies might have had inside information regarding a change in the situation of building zones in the Akamas.
A report in Phileleftheros claimed that a host of private companies had been snapping up property in the region, despite no changes having been announced on the issue of town planning zones.
This caused local residents to ask questions, especially as they could see property prices soaring.
According to the report, areas valued at around £200-500 pounds a donum a few years ago are currently valued between £10,000-15,000 pounds.
But locals claimed that these specific areas are not ideal for residential development, the main reason that they were not included in building zones in the past.
Then the Government published the new Akamas Plan !!
According to the plan the villages in the Akamas area will not be allowed to expand to the west of their communities, something that the villagers of Inea are furious about, since they claim it will have a disastrous effect on their community.
The entire project, which will cost the government more than £16 million, includes the imposition of strict controls on development, based on environmental, architectural and aesthetic aspects, the improvement of the road network connecting the village communities, as well as giving landowners in the area state land in other areas of the Republic worth £140 million.
And an Inea community leader then issued a stern warning to the government that the aggrieved community “has ways to make them run” to protest against the Akamas plan. (The villages in the Akamas area will not be allowed to expand to the west of their communities, something that the villagers of Inea are furious about, since they claim it will have a disastrous effect on their community.)
But perhaps the last word will be with the “host of private companies that had been snapping up property in the region” who being “landowners in the area will now receive state land in other areas of the Republic worth £140 million.” ??????????????
Remember that the beginning of this article said “Several weeks ago it was reported that questions were being asked whether private companies might have had inside information”.
Keith Parkins wrote “There is little point in safeguarding Akamas from abuse by the British military if it simply opens the way for greedy, corrupt, Cypriot speculators.”
I agree !!
There are loads of commercial mortgage lenders that also deal in personal mortgage. A quick search for “bad credit home mortgage loan” will turn up lenders that are willing to give secured loans. Search engines are full of mortgage marketing that try to lure the customer to high interest mortgages. A bad credit refinance query on the search engine will turn up with numerous firms willing to finance bad credit rating. In the us mortgage industry is the largest and consequently comes with evil players. Before taking a home mortgage consider advice from a home mortgage consultant for prudent decision.
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Tempers flare as Akamas meeting ends in stalemate
By Stefanos Evripidou
TEMPERS FRAYED at the House Environment Committee yesterday as the long-standing issue of what to do with the Akamas peninsular resurfaced, bringing to the fore the chasm between government policy, environmentalists’ concerns and the demands of the Akamas communities.
Committee Chairman Yiannos Lamaris had to restore order on a number of occasions as deputies and Akamas residents competed over who could shout the loudest.
One resident, without hospitality in mind, challenged Greens deputy George Perdikis to show his face in Akamas one day, while another muttered under his breath that the national park was going to burn.
The peninsular is considered one of the most important areas in Cyprus for its richness in biodiversity and cultural landscape. Negotiations to protect the area began in 1989 and continue to this day.
Locals object to austere restrictions on the development of the area, claiming they are being economically strangled by not even being allowed to build roads.
A scandal that broke four months ago did nothing to help the government’s position. The Interior Ministry launched an investigation in June after it emerged that public officials had leaked information on the designation of development zones, allowing private companies and developers to buy land from unsuspecting land owners on the cheap. The land is set to multiply twenty times in value once the changes are finalised.
Agriculture Minister Fotis Fotiou yesterday reiterated the government’s plan to go ahead with a number of non-controversial projects in the area while stating that the ‘hot’ issues regarding delineation of development zones and areas protected by Natura 2000 would likely stay on the boil until after the presidential elections. Fotiou said a ministerial committee would convene on October 25 to deal with all the issues raised by Akamas residents.
He emphasised the need for dialogue while calling on Akamas residents to “embrace and love this Management Plan”. He added that residents were being misinformed.
“For instance, there is no need to designate more animal farmland as demanded. Even if animal farming increased five times, there would still be enough space,” he said.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Akamas communities accused non-governmental organisations of working for vested interests. Spokesman for the communities of Arodhes, Kathika, Drousia and Neo Chorio, Savvas Hadjimina, claimed that the government’s hotly contested Management Plan for Akamas was a carbon copy of the proposals submitted by environmental NGOs in Cyprus, behind which were a number of prominent businessmen and former officials who had other interests at heart.
A representative of Terra Cypria (Cyprus Institute for the Protection of the Environment) rejected the claims, asking what ulterior motives could there be in objecting to roads connecting beaches where turtles lay their eggs.
When Environment Commissioner Charalambous Theopemptou suggested that plenty of land for tourist development had already been allocated by the plan, Drousia representative Stelios Kouparis stood up from the visitors’ section, visibly shaken. He screamed that it was all a load of lies, arguing that residents were being offered minimal compensation for their lands while large landowners like the Church and one prominent businessman were being offered land swaps for land worth £120 million.
Chairman Lamaris had to intervene, pleading: “For God’s sake, this is a parliament. You can’t grab someone by the neck for voicing their opinion.”
Then it was the turn of DIKO deputy Sophocles Fittis to get mad. When one Akamas resident sought equality before the law, Fittis interrupted shouting: “What equality before the law did the refugees get?” This prompted Kouparis to re-enter the debate, shouting: “Please tell me what do refugees have to do with Akamas?”
Perdikis, who appears to be persona non grata in the peninsular, joined the fray, raising his voice louder than the honourable gentlemen to his right, saying: “We’ve got a voice too, you know, and we can shout too.”
Things quietened down after Lamaris threatened to kick the visitors out. The Committee meeting was called to an end and pledged to reconvene before the end of the year. But the drama continued. One Akamas representative, unhappy with his short dialogue with Perdikis, muttered that Akamas would burn the way things were going.
Not an empty threat given that some villagers had already been accused of deliberately setting fires to protest government plans.
Perdikis lost his cool, beating the decibel count for the morning. In response, another resident invited him to go west and find him in Akamas. The Greens’ deputy replied: “If you’re man enough, you’ll be there when I come.”
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