In 2024, 28 forest fires were recorded in Cyprus, burning a total area of 3,529 hectares, with 25% located within Natura2000 areas, the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare has said.
“According to data from the report of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, entitled ‘‘Forest fires in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa 2024’’, 96% of forest fires are caused by human activities,” the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment notes, adding that in Cyprus in 2024, 28 forest fires were recorded, with a total of 3,529 hectares of burnt areas, the Commissioner’s Office said in a press release on the occasion of Forest Protection Week (5–11 May), on Tuesday
“More than two-thirds of these areas were affected by fires during the month of June,” it underlined. It further noted that 25% of the burned areas in Cyprus are located within Natura2000 areas, which underlines the importance of protecting biodiversity and ecosystems from fires, “which not only affect the forest ecosystem, but also have serious consequences for the economy, the quality of atmospheric air and soil, as well as water supply.”
Furthermore, fires, in addition to their direct environmental and economic consequences, also accelerate the phenomenon of desertification, the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment said.
At the same time, desertification directly threatens agricultural production and ecological balance. According to national data, approximately 57% of Cyprus’s lands already show signs of degradation, while this percentage may exceed 70% by 2050, it added.
“Preventing fires and combating desertification are not two separate objectives, but interrelated priorities that require coordinated action and cooperation between stakeholders, within the framework of a broader strategic management of the natural and human-made environment, as well as the active participation of citizens and local communities,” the press release concluded.
( Source: CNA)
