The annual ‘Forest protection week’ being held until May 11 was launched in Mandra tou Kampiou on Monday under the slogan “The forest needs you. Protect it from fire”.

Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou in her speech emphasised “the importance of adequate preparation, enhanced professional training of staff and increased operational readiness” in the fight against environmental threats.

Panayiotou stressed that the forestry department currently had the “largest fleet of fire-fighting vehicles and the largest number of human resources in its history”, noting that while progress had been made in the previous year, further measures were in the process of being implemented.

These, the minister said included addressing personnel shortages in firefighting services, as well as implementing enhanced prevention measures.

In her concluding remarks, she emphasised that local forests were a part of “priceless natural heritage”, that had do be preserved as “the apple of our eye”, pointing to the need to prevent forest fires, urging the public to be particularly careful.

Forestry department director Savvas Iezekiel, also present at the event, emphasised his department’s preparedness in tackling forest fires and highlighted the importance of safeguarding both the forests and the broader environment.