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Calls to turn Lara into an organized beach, with umbrellas, sunbeds and other visitor facilities, have returned, despite the coastline being one of Cyprus’ most important nesting grounds for sea turtles.
The proposal was revived by the deputy mayor of Ineia following the illegal placement of umbrellas, sunbeds and tents in the protected area. Rather than simply calling for the items to be removed, he reportedly renewed an old argument: that Lara should become an organized beach where people and nature can “coexist.”
But organized for whom?
The Animal Party Cyprus has reacted angrily, warning that Lara is not an ordinary beach waiting to be equipped for tourism. It is a protected breeding ground used by both loggerhead turtles, known as 'Caretta caretta', and green turtles, or 'Chelonia mydas'.
Both species come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. Increased activity, beach furniture, artificial lighting and other disturbances can interfere with nesting females and create hazards for hatchlings trying to reach the sea.
The party argues that the latest proposal effectively asks turtles to adapt to tourism, rather than requiring visitors to respect one of the island’s most environmentally sensitive coastlines.
“Lara is not an empty space waiting to be exploited but a natural treasure of Cyprus,” it said, adding that the state has an obligation to protect it.
Protection is not optional
Restrictions in the Lara–Toxeftra protected area have been in place since 1989. According to the Animal Party, they are not the product of overzealous environmentalism but a legal safeguard specifically designed to protect turtles and their nesting beaches.
The party questioned what “coexistence” would mean in practice.
Would environmental protections be adjusted to meet the needs of tourism? Would exceptions be created to squeeze more umbrellas and sunbeds onto a beach where they are currently prohibited?
“That is not environmental protection, and it is not sustainable development,” it said.
The dispute reflects a familiar argument in Cyprus: whether a place must generate visible commercial activity before it is considered useful.
Supporters of organized facilities may argue that better management could control the current disorder, particularly when visitors already bring tents, umbrellas and equipment to Lara illegally. But the Animal Party’s position is that weak enforcement should not become the excuse for changing the rules.
Call for enforcement
The party is urging the government to reject any relaxation of the existing protection regime and end discussions about creating an organized beach within or close to the core turtle-nesting area.
It also wants the Fisheries Department, the Environment Department and other authorities to increase patrols, remove illegal installations immediately and impose penalties capable of discouraging repeat offences.
At the heart of the dispute is a simple question: Is Lara a tourist beach that happens to have turtles—or a turtle-nesting sanctuary that people are privileged to visit?
The answer will determine whether Cyprus protects one of its most valuable natural habitats or slowly furnishes it, one sunbed at a time.
