The three-day conference organized in Droushia under the title "Conservation, Management and Governance of Protected Areas - Implementation in the Akamas Peninsula" was described by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Costas Kadis as extremely important, adding that the aim of the conference is to examine how "we could build on the experiences of other regions to move towards a holistic management of the Akamas Peninsula aimed at the well-being of communities and the protection of the natural environment".
The conference, Kadis said in his statements, aims to present and disseminate international experiences, good practices and successful examples of integrated management of protected areas and discuss their implementation in Cyprus and in particular in the case of the Akamas Peninsula.
The three-day conference, he added, brought together not only all the stakeholders of Cyprus in the management of the Akamas but also experts from all corners of the world, such as from America, from the EU, from the European Association of Protected Areas and from the World Bank.
"It is very important to talk to each other, to draw expertise from other regions that have successfully managed similar cases," he said.
He said that the conference-workshop was also attended by representatives of local communities and other stakeholders, such as environmental organisations and non-governmental organisations.
The Agriculture Minister said that the Akamas problem is not a problem that is only found in Cyprus, but it is an issue that arises wherever there are conflicting views and conflicting interests. He added that we should "learn from successful cases how it was managed in other regions, in order to proceed with our own case."
Kadis noted that in the coming days the conclusions will be drawn up, while noting that there are very specific suggestions, such as applying to the World Bank to formulate a regional plan for the wider development of the Akamas region with funding from their own resources, noting that this is very important.
The Ministry of Agriculture aims to use the findings to best manage the Akama region for the benefit of both local communities and by protecting the unique natural environment of the region, he concluded.
The conference discussed issues such as developing sustainable tourism around protected areas, implementing sustainable development models at local and national level focusing on protected areas, and implementing investments in protected areas to generate environmental, economic and social benefits.
The Conference is an action of the project "Management of the Natura 2000 Network Area - Akamas Peninsula", which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund for the programming period 2014-2020, under the Operational Programme "Competitiveness & Sustainable Development" of the Structural Funds of the European Union.
Landowners
In his statements, Savvas Hadjiminas, president of the Association of Landowners of Akamas, said that they attended the conference after an invitation, which helps in the dialogue so that the owners and communities understand what management and sustainable development means in terms of tourism planning. Akamas said it is not only the national park but also communities and properties.
We, he said, "as representatives of the private properties representing 4 thousand people, we are representing 4 thousand people. at least owners, we are with open ears, we have listened to the experts and we have submitted our own positions and we say that there must be a holistic solution so that there can be a national park and an area that is sustainable with the operation of the national park, but also so that the next generations can stay in our villages and there can be a solution with the private properties."
Communal leaders see it positively
The communal leader of Inia, Yagos Tsivikos, said in a statement that the presence of the communal leaders at the conference proved to be constructive, adding that there was a counter argument. We are here, he continued, "so that our views can be heard", noting that their principle is the coexistence of man and the environment.
For his part, Menelaos Turvas, commune mayor of Kathika, said that the philosophy of the local plan which will be announced soon is how to preserve and develop the communities. We are, he said, in favour of soft developments for the convenience of visitors but vertically opposed to any development that includes interchange. Visitors should visit Akamas, the national forest park and return to the communities because that is the only way to develop the communities, he added.
According to the organisers, the conference is an opportunity to enrich the knowledge of all stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in the management of Akamas, and protected areas in general in Cyprus, on the integrated and multi-dimensional management of these valuable areas. Also, to discuss the challenges faced by the state and the ways in which these can be turned into opportunities, and through successful examples in other areas, to transfer experience on the ways in which the management of these valuable areas achieves the protection of biodiversity, along with sustainable economic and social development at local and national level.
Source: KYPE
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