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- Ελληνικά
Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr Maria Panayiotou today inspected vehicles and equipment recently received by the Department of Forests for forest protection purposes, through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, in the "Park of Nations" of the Athalassa National Forest Park. Following the inspection of the vehicles, the Minister made the following statement to media representatives:
"With a budget of €25.7 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Intervention relating to the protection of forests from fires, the receipt of equipment from the fund has already begun. So far, four excavators, nine agricultural tractors (six from the Plan and three with national funds), eight dozers, six vegetation shredders and ten personnel carriers have been received, followed by the arrival of 25 all-terrain fire trucks, 17 large fire trucks, six platform trucks, six tankers carrying 12 tons of water, and another 65 personnel carriers. Provision is also made through the fund for the purchase of an aircraft.
This is a very important addition to the Department's equipment to protect our forests. The Department is being enhanced both qualitatively and quantitatively, with modern and capable equipment, as a further measure to upgrade its operational capacity to respond to forest fires. This strengthening of the Department confirms the importance of our commitment to preserving the environment, protecting our forests and ensuring the safety of our citizens in line with our governance programme."
It is noted that the vehicles and equipment have been purchased through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and in particular, through the implementation of the "Forest Fire Protection" intervention of Policy Axis 2 "Towards Green Growth", which seeks to make a significant contribution to Cyprus' green transition and environmental sustainability. Through the Intervention, which aims to adapt forest fire protection to the era of climate change by reducing the risk of forest fire outbreak and expansion, the Forestry Department is being strengthened with means and actions to address and manage forest fires.
The Intervention is currently underway and is expected to be completed in June 2026.
The Intervention is currently underway and is expected to be completed in June 2026. The Forestry Department, until December 2025, will be gradually reinforced with the necessary forest firefighting equipment.
(EN)
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