A new report has criticized the Forestry Department in Cyprus. The report looked at how state forest lands are managed. It found many problems. This happened between 2018 and 2024. The audit showed issues with lease expansions. It also found €1.3 million in uncollected money. These problems make people question the department's work.
The Auditor General, Andreas Papaconstantinou, called the findings "concerning." He said the department needs big changes. The report mentioned lease expansions without good reasons. In one case, an adventure park lease was made twice as big. The Cabinet approved this. However, the company only asked for the bigger area in 2023. This was eight years later. The company also did not start building as required. The department did not seem to notice this.
The audit also looked at protected areas. Macheras National Forest Park is a Natura 2000 site. A lease was given there. The department did not think enough about the Cypriot grass snake. This snake lives in the area. The department knew this. However, the company's report did not mention the snake. This shows a failure in checking environmental impact.
The financial problems are also large. By December 2023, over €1.3 million was not collected. About €1 million was from forest land leases. This is money lost for the public. The department is not managing money well. A 2017 review had similar concerns. Many old problems were not fixed. The Audit Office wants better leasing rules. They also want better environmental checks and financial management. The department admitted they had no notes explaining why one area doubled in size.