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The Larnaca Salt Lake Wetland Protection Group has raised alarms over recent interventions in the Natura 2000 site, urging immediate action to halt ongoing projects. In a letter addressed to the Director of the Forestry Department, the group calls for the cessation of construction activities and strict law enforcement.
The group, in a statement shared with the media, criticizes the Environmental Department and other relevant authorities, including the Forestry Department and the Game and Fauna Service, for allegedly consenting to the Municipality of Larnaca’s plans. These plans, under the guise of "development," involve felling trees and shrubs, leveling large areas, constructing a three-story restaurant, and paving a parking lot in the city's only green lung.
"The contractor has cut down and uprooted trees and shrubs within the Special Protection Zone," the group claims. They have filed an official complaint with the Larnaca Forestry Department, demanding to know what measures will be taken to halt the work, assess the damage, and fully restore the forest to the extent possible.
The group also questions how the authorities could approve such "monstrous projects in Patticheio Park (Natura 2000)" and whether legal penalties will be imposed on the Municipality of Larnaca and the project contractor.
Additionally, the group informs that the Patticheio case has already been brought to justice. They stress that any developments or failures to enforce the law by any authority bolster their arguments.
[Information sourced from CNA]
