FastForward’s investigation into the logging of mature Black Pine trees within a Natura 2000 protected area in the Troodos mountains has confirmed a central and critical fact: no environmental approval was issued by the Department of Environment prior to the felling of trees on Plot 948.

This point is no longer in dispute. According to authoritative information obtained by FastForward, no Screening Report, no Special Ecological (Appropriate) Assessment and no environmental permit were granted, despite the plot being located entirely within a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA) of the Troodos National Forest Park. Under both EU and Cypriot law, this approval is a mandatory prerequisite for any intervention within a Natura 2000 site.

Against this backdrop, the key question now shifts from whether procedures were followed, to how a logging permit was issued despite their clear absence.

The Forestry Department has acknowledged that it granted a logging permit for mature Black Pine trees. However, it has yet to explain how this decision was taken without prior confirmation of environmental clearance, or how it reconciles its actions with the legal framework governing protected habitats

FastForward’s reporting has also brought renewed attention to internal accountability within the Forestry Department. What checks, if any, were carried out regarding the environmental status of the land? Were objections raised internally, and if so, why were they overridden?

These questions are inseparable from the identity of the landowner: Charalambos Alexandrou, former Director of the Forestry Department. While no wrongdoing has been established, his long-standing institutional role makes claims of ignorance of Natura 2000 obligations implausible and heightens the need for full transparency. Whether any past professional relationships influenced decision-making is now a matter of legitimate public interest.

Equally unclear is the purpose behind the logging. The plot is registered as agricultural land, with strict planning limitations and a very low development coefficient. Environmental sources told FastForward that the felling of mature, strictly protected trees appears difficult to justify on its own, raising suspicions that the activity may be preparatory to a different future use of the land.

Following FastForward’s revelations, VOLT MP Alexandra Attalides has taken parliamentary action, submitting a question and promoting the issue for ex officio discussion at the House Environment Committee. Her intervention expands the scope of the case beyond a single permit, placing it within Cyprus’s broader and ongoing failure to effectively enforce Natura 2000 protections — an issue already under scrutiny by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

With police complaints filed and an ex officio investigation by the Department of Environment expected, the coming phase will test not only the legality of one logging operation, but the credibility of Cyprus’s environmental governance system itself.