The Sovereign British Bases have issued a statement in regards to a ‘blockade’ made by some individuals, as base personnel were trying to clear the invasive Acacia species from an area in the Pyla range.
The statement issued on Thursday by the bases is as follows:
“Earlier today a group of individuals carried out an illegal protest against Bases personnel who were clearing a small part of Pyla range of 4 acres of mixed vegetation for safety reasons. The Bases recognise the right to protest however protests must be both peaceful and legal. In this instance a group of individuals have acted in an unacceptable manner. The vegetation, most of it acacia, was restricting arcs of fire and visibility. This presents a danger for troops when using live ammunition.
Early reports suggested that military personal were prevented from leaving the area, this was not true, they were able to leave on foot but elected to stay with their vehicles.”
The statement added that the SBA authorities were pleased that – through negotiation with local community leaders – they were able to resolve the issue.
“Whilst vegetation was predominantly removed for range safety reasons this action bolsters the SBAs long term commitment to remove all invasive plant species from our agreed Special Areas of Conservation and contributes towards our campaign to prevent illegal hunting of migrating birds,” the statement said.
SigmaLive spoke with BirdLife Cyprus, who said that the incident is another reminder of how big illegal bird trapping is in the region.
Read more here.
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