BirdLife Cyprus said on Friday it is taking the government to court, hoping to halt construction of a port in Pentakomo that endangers the habitat of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal.

Heavy machinery has already begun clearing beaches and coastal rock formations to make way for new aquaculture facilities.

Conservationists say these same formations are essential breeding grounds for the Mediterranean monk seal, the numbers of which on the island are as low as 20.

It is the first time BirdLife Cyprus has launched legal action on this scale. The group says it had no choice after months of warnings went unheeded.

“We are taking this to court because no one is above nature,” the organisation said.

Two legal appeals have been filed, one against the environmental permit and another against the urban planning approval. An urgent court order has also been requested to stop all works before permanent damage is done.

Last month, the ministry of agriculture confirmed a slow but hopeful recovery of the monk seal population, thanks to conservation efforts.

“Monachus monachus is one of the rarest seal species in the world and the rarest marine mammal in Europe,” head of the ministry’s seal monitoring programme Charalambos Nicolaou said.

“Its recovery is fragile and must be protected.”

But that protection, campaigners say, is now at risk. Pentakomo’s coast is one of the few places on the island where the monk seals breed and feed. Continued construction could wipe out their habitat entirely.

Environmental groups have long raised concerns.

“What we’re seeing is environmental injustice,” Friends of the Earth Cyprus said.

“The project is going ahead without proper environmental assessments, and that’s a violation of both national and EU law.”

The legal action in Cyprus echoes similar battles across Europe. BirdLife cited past wins in Poland, Spain, and Greece, where courts sided with environmental groups to stop destructive developments.

Campaigners in Cyprus hope for the same result. They are calling on the public to help fund the legal effort, with a €20,000 target to cover expert studies and court fees.

“This fight is about more than Pentakomo,” BirdLife said.

“It’s about protecting nature’s rights and holding authorities accountable.”

Supporters can contribute to the campaign through https://www.givengain.com/campaign/pentakomo