Monachus Monachus

Audit Office calls for revised study on Pentakomo development to protect seals

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Audit Office calls for revised study on Pentakomo development to protect seals

The Audit Office has requested a revised site allocation study for proposed marine farm facilities in the Moni-Vassiliko area due to the area’s significance for the Mediterranean monk seal. Plans to develop aquaculture facilities in the environmentally sensitive area are facing scrutiny, with a project tender issued for €34 million. The Audit Office recommends updating the National Action Plan for Monk Seal Conservation and ensuring public access to relevant assessments. Delays in project implementation could risk losing funding. The Audit Office criticizes the lack of detail in alternative locations considered in a previous study and recommends a revised study to address the gap. The Department of Environment’s pre-screening report for the Environmental Impact Assessment is criticized for not adequately considering the importance of the area for the Mediterranean monk seal. The proposed project aims to serve seven of the nine existing marine aquaculture farms in Cyprus, providing necessary support infrastructure.

Rampant environmental abuse, calls for disciplinary investigation

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Rampant environmental abuse, calls for disciplinary investigation

– A slew of illegal developments have taken place in environmentally protected areas across the country, including Natura 2000 sites.
– A politically exposed person in Sotira, Famagusta benefited from irregular procedures in obtaining a town planning permit for a tourism development.
– Holiday homes were constructed before all the necessary permits and approvals were granted.
– The most important habitat cave for the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus was affected by illegal construction.
– Cyprus has been referred to the Court of Justice of the EU for its failure to comply with its obligations under the Habitats Directive.
– Concerns were raised over an illegal biological plant in Kalopanayiotis causing environmental pollution.
– A forest conservator is under investigation for illegal cattle farms within the Natura 2000 area.
– Requests by the Inia community for placing sunbeds and umbrellas at Lara beach were promoted illegally, despite objections by the fisheries department.
– Multiple fires occurred at the Geri-Dali recycling plant site and waste was not properly managed.

Monachus not so monastic anymore, as the seals are here to stay

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Monachus not so monastic anymore, as the seals are here to stay

– The Monachus Monachus is an endangered Mediterranean seal.
– Cypriot waters have seen a steady rise in seal numbers year after year due to environmental service measures protecting their habitat.
– Seal numbers in Cyprus increased from 7-10 in 2010 to 22 last year.
– The seal ecosystem in Cyprus is mostly in protected Natura 2000 maritime regions and off the British Bases in Limassol.
– Seals were spotted for the first time at the Anassa hotel beach, using it for resting and caring for newborns.
– A detailed outlook of the Mediterranean seal was presented in Peyia at an event co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment.
– The Cape Greco coastal caves are rarely used by seals due to increased human activity.
– The Ayia Napa sea caves are popular for reproduction and resting, with up to six seals recorded using the caves at a time.
– Seals have been spotted resting in regional caves from Governor’s Beach to the recycling plant area in the west.
– A 55-meter deep cave at Ayios Yeorgios Alamanos is an important shelter for reproduction and resting, with seals traveling up to 150 kilometers to use it.
– The name Monachus Monachus possibly comes from the thick layer of skin under its neck resembling a Catholic monk’s religious hood, not from a monastic nature as earlier believed.
– The Mediterranean seal is the rarest of 33 species worldwide and the only one in the genus Monachus, making it the number one endangered mammal in Europe with only 700 left.
– Half of the remaining population lives and reproduces in Greece, and another 100 off the southern coast of Turkey.
– Systematic monitoring and protection are crucial for the survival and rejuvenation of the species, which can dive down to 200 meters and reproduces in Cyprus from September to December.