Akademias park has shrunk even further

By Efi Xanthou

On October 24 the forestry department felled a big number of eucalyptus and pine trees without warning anybody at the Akademias park in Aglandjia. They just barged in with heavy machinery while visitors, thoroughly shocked, started calling environmental organisations to intervene to stop the catastrophe that was happening right in front of their eyes.

When I received the call, one of the first things I asked was if they were sure trees were being felled and not just pruned.

Because we do receive complaints whenever the forestry department decides to prune eucalyptus trees, they tend to leave them quite bare. It seems they have decided that the best way to prune eucalyptus trees is by cutting out most of the branch system.

This usually leaves a very ugly excuse for a tree, but it does not destroy the tree forever.

So, when I received the call, I wanted to be sure that I was not abandoning post just to yell at the forestry department for stripping trees and destroying nests. I could easily do that on the phone.

But no. The caller insisted that not only were they felling the trees, they were telling them that they were doing so to create a huge pond. So, I left everything midway and rushed to the Akademias park in Aglandjia to see for myself. And lo and behold, I found three trucks ready to be loaded with firewood and a telescopic lift that was obviously supporting the personnel that were cutting down the trees under the supervision of the forestry departments.

Of course, I started filming and taking photos, still not believing my eyes. They had already cut 50 to 60 trees of all sizes, clearing approximately a 4-acre area.

I asked the forestry department personnel what was happening and why. They answered that, according to a study conducted by the water development department, they had to create a water reservoir as an anti-flooding mechanism.

This actually made sense because some areas of the park would end up flooded whenever there were huge torrential rains.

The interesting thing though, is that the flooding didn’t occur in the area where the reservoir was going to be created but in another area of the park that actually has much fewer trees because said torrential rains had been stripping the topsoil every couple of years, depriving those trees from essential nutrients.

I was outraged. For a government department that is supposed to protect the environment and loves tree planting, it sure cuts down a lot of trees. They chose to clear a plush area of the park instead of clearing one of the more barren areas.

If they had bothered to hold a town hall meeting or even gone through the process of getting the work approved by the environment department, alternative sites and measures could have been suggested.

But no! The forestry department knows its stuff and will not be held accountable by anybody, less alone environmental activists… And yes, we will make formal complaints to the relevant authorities and they will probably tell us that we are right, but the trees have been felled, the park has shrunk a little more, and “development” will continue unimpeded.

Efi Xanthou is a political scientist and member of the political council of Volt Cyprus