Hazelnut forest ‘may totally collapse’

The hazelnut forest near the Nicosia district village of Alona may “totally collapse” if measures are not taken to ward against threats to its ecological balance.

Following a meeting at the agriculture ministry on Friday, the village’s council said the forest has suffered from “long-term neglect” which has led to a “significant alteration of the vegetation” living there, including the arrival of invasive species.

For this reason, they said, “if immediate and targeted measures are not taken, a total collapse of the hazelnut forest is looming in the near future.”

The council’s environmental affairs advisor Dr Eleftherios Hadjisterkotis said at the meeting he had released a 500-page book on the matter, in which he had described “the particularities of the landscape and the particular features of the ecosystem”.

He said he had also presented suggestions for how the forest be managed.

During the meeting, the village’s mukhtar Michalis Nikiforou had also discussed plans for the creation of an environmental study centre in Alona, saying that such a centre will “enable the forestry department to better monitor and manage the area”.

He also said the forest should be officially called the “Cyprus Hazelnut Forest National Park”, given that the forest is entirely located inside a Natura 2000 protected area.

The ministry’s representatives at the meeting pledged to take “immediate action to stem the invasion of unwatned species, restore vegetation, and implement sustainable management practices which will ensure the hazelnut forest’s long-term protection.”

With this in mind, they said they would draw up an action plan with the aim of restoring the area’s ecological balance and biodiversity.