Destruction of vegetation in a protected area in Afendrika in Northern Cyprus

The newspaper “Yeni Düzen” reports on residents’ statements about environmental damage in the Special Nature Protection Area in Afendrika in Northern Cyprus.

According to the report, an earth-moving machine belonging to the Forestry Department caused significant damage to vegetation, uprooting olive trees and juniper. The incident was recorded by local residents.

The Director of the Forestry Department, Ercan Poyraz, confirmed that the machine belongs to his service, but denied responsibility. According to him, the machine was handed over at the request of the Yialousa–Rizokarpaso municipality for road works and was not under the control of his department.

The publication claims that the municipality, having received the machine and organized fuel supply, then handed it over to private individuals in the area, who continued the work without supervision.

The former head of the Association of Biologists in Northern Cyprus, Hasan Sarpten, described the situation with the phrase “we entrusted a lamb to the wolf” and refuted information that a fine had been imposed for this specific incident by the Environmental Protection Department. According to him, the mentioned fine related to an earlier case of damage to sea lilies on the beach by the same municipality.

All parties involved — the Forestry Department, the municipality, and the Environmental Protection Department — according to critics, are shifting responsibility onto one another.