The debate on
the fate of the Akamas peninsula has attracted a lot of attention in recent
months, since the government’s latest pronouncement in favour of “mild and
sensitive development”, while protecting certain fragile areas completely.
The popular CyBC TV current affairs programme Grammi 10-88 recently ran a
three-day special series on the Akamas. Guest representing a wide
variety of interested parties and stakeholders were invited to put forward
their views. Greens, conservationists, local land-owners, developers,
and government officials stated their positions. The programme
illustrated clearly the difficult nature of the problem, and the fundamental
conflicts between many of the groups. The battle lines are drawn
and positions are becoming increasingly entrenched. Developers see
huge money-making opportunities, especially in the most desirable and
beautiful coastal spots. Local landowners and villagers fear the
erosion of their property rights, and the prospect that they will no longer be
able to continue to live in their Akamas. Conservationists want to
save the forests, coastlines and species which make Akamas not only a national
but an international treasure. Politicians want to keep voters and
powerful interest groups happy. Most people seem to be convinced
that the Battle for the Akamas is a zero-sum game: if someone wins,
someone else is going to lose.
Fortunately,
recent experience in many other similar situations around the world has shown
that competing interests in the Akamas can co-exist, and that with good
planning, foresight, and flexibility, all of the stakeholders can be winners.
The key is to understand the conservation-development paradox:
develop an area of outstanding natural beauty, and destroy the very thing that
brought you there in the first place, negating any positive long-term benefits
of either development or conservation. The other
alternative, which yields benefits for both the natural ecosystem and the
economy, is to mix development and conservation according to a very strict
formula: prevent any development which will threaten the long-term
viability and integrity of the ecosystem, and develop only in ways which will
enhance the sustainable economic potential of the natural area.
On that basis, a
blueprint for a win-win in the Akamas should be based on two key principles.
First, the peninsula is an area of unique natural and ecological significance
that should be protected for all time, for the people of Cyprus and the world,
as a National Park. Second, local villagers and long-time
residents of the area have the right to benefit economically from the park,
and continue to live in the Akamas. In fact, these two objectives
are surprisingly compatible. Research from around the world has
consistently shown that a committed local population is a pre-requisite to a
successful long-term conservation strategy. After all, this their
territory, and if it supports their livelihood, they will look after it better
than anyone else ever could. National Parks around the world are
also major generators of tourism revenue. The Rocky Mountain
National Parks in Canada and the USA attract millions of visitors each year,
generating billions of dollars of revenues for local businesses. Link
the two, the locals and the park, and solve a major part of the paradox.
Locals will want a park, because they will see that it means real and
sustained long-term economic prosperity for them and their families.
To achieve this,
development must be carefully planned, designed and executed.
Current proposals call for a “low density” of development on private lands,
often expressed as a percentage of building area to total land area.
This type of development, however small the percentage figure used, would
result in new villas, hotels, restaurants, parking lots and roads being
scattered liberally across what is now a virtually intact expanse of
Mediterranean coastal forest, and would surely spell disaster for the Akamas.
The entire area would very quickly loose its ecological and aesthetic
integrity, and its value as a unique tourist destination would be damaged
irreparably. Instead, development of an equivalent number of beds and
facilities should be tightly concentrated into and around existing villages,
along the lines of the current “Natura” agrotourism programme. Those who
own land outside the villages can be compensated with permits to build within
the designated village expansion areas, or financially from other Park
revenues. New buildings should be designed in the local village
style, clustered and attractive, leaving the surrounding forests, beaches and
countryside unspoiled and readily accessible from the villages, on foot,
bicycle, horseback, or car. No development at all should be
permitted on any of the coastline. This combination of charming
authentic Cyprus village atmosphere and access to a large unspoiled natural
playground of unsurpassed beauty is sure to attract significant high value
tourism. Research has shown again and again that a large
proportion of tourists are willing to pay a substantial premium for this kind
of holiday experience. Based on experience from the Caribbean, Costa
Rica, Canada, Peru, and many other countries, per-bed revenues from these
villages can be expected to quickly become the highest in Cyprus. This
economic success will translate into sustainable prosperity for the people of
the Akamas, significant new construction activity and development benefiting
developers and construction companies, a healthy intact National Park for the
rest of us, and some hope of survival for the threatened and endangered
species of the Akamas.
Getting from
where we are now, with battle lines drawn, to this vision of peaceful
co-existence, and sustainable economic and ecological success, is not
impossible. All it takes is a few important steps.
Make it a
National Park
First, place a
moratorium on development in the Akamas. Stop the grinding erosion
of the area’s ecological integrity now. Declare the peninsula a
National Park in perpetuity. Establish the legislative basis for a Park
management infrastructure. Get EU money for park projects and
establishment. Control the park boundaries, and establish a Park
entrance fee for visitors. User fees will help to pay for running costs
of the Park, and fund conservation projects.
Make the Park
Work for Local Residents
Designate
existing villages as agrotourism development areas, including expansion zones
immediately surrounding the villages. Strictly control development
to ensure harmonious architectural style and scale, preserving the Akamas
village “look and feel”. Compensate owners of lands in other
areas of the Park where no development will be allowed, with plots within the
villages, or with cash. Market the Park and the villages
internationally as a unique tourist destination. Watch businesses spring
up outside the park boundaries, adding to the economic benefits.
Protect and
Enhance the Park’s Ecosystems
We don’t have a
lot of up-to-date scientific information about the natural ecosystems, species
and habitats of the Akamas. We don’t even know if Monk seals still
breed on the coast as they did decades before. Protection and
conservation require information. Undertake a complete and
thorough biological survey of the peninsula. Build on and enhance
the current turtle protection programme. Prevent hunting and trapping in
the peninsula. Clean up dumps and rubbish. Plant trees and
help endangered endemic species to re-establish themselves in their former
ranges. Build more footpaths, hiking trails, and interpretive centres
for visitors, and reduce the number of roads cutting through the park.
Reap the
Benefits for Decades
This done,
Cyprus can enjoy for decades the substantial benefits of its foresight and
commitment. The long-term economic advantages of creating a unique
tourist destination cannot be under-estimated, especially when the much poorer
and shoddier alternatives can already be seen from Aya Napa to Paphos.
The environmental and ecological benefits, while more difficult to express in
monetary terms, will nonetheless stay with us for decades and centuries.
And perhaps most importantly in the overall scheme of things, this generation
will be able to tell their grandchildren “it was us that saved these
magnificent turtles and seals and this forest for you to enjoy”.