Cyprus-Forum.com

[YFred]

No mate.

Forests will naturally recover from fires; re-seeding and re-establishing themselves, as they do in the Free Areas of the Troodos. What you see in the Kyrenia Mountains, where you are lucky to see a single tree, is deliberate destruction by the Turkish Army.

Bill Cobbett - I've just spent the afternoon walking in the Pentadaktylos/Besparmak, including as they run behind Kyrenia. I can assure you that there are tens of thousands of trees. Wherever do you get the idea that you'd be "lucky to see a single tree" ?

I agree that the quarrying is an environmental disaster (You should see what has happened to parts of Derbyshire or Dorset !) but acceleration of stone quarrying for export to Turkey is a direct function of economic isolation. If the country can only export through Turkey and it only has limited export capacity, and one of them is in stone, it is hardly surprising that stone will be exported.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Turkish army deliberately sets fire to forests. Yes such a story feeds well into the anti-Turkey propaganda machine but it is basically bollocks. Of what possible use to Turkey would setting forests alight be ? I'd have thought we're well past the "GCs/TCs ate my baby" stage of history.

I am afraid that Billy boy Bobbit doesn't open his mouth much except to spread propaganda........He onmce accused me of being a liar because I said I had a sister

He was right Zan, You are mistaken he does not have a sister, he cross-dresses at the weekends and goes cage fighting.
You must have seen Billulla C the other Saturday.

[Oracle]

By the same token BOF ... it was "acceptable" to all and sundry when the Brits had the Akamas dotted with land mines and bombed out crevices ... enough to make it bereft of the natural dwellers, for over 50 years!

And what about the communications devices the Brits have erected all over the place?

Neither the Brits nor the Turks can be excused by making any comparisons to how the RoC runs its own country because the crime of illegally invading someone else's territory, PURELY to exploit it, is morally and ethically wrong, as well as destructive.

When the Brits and Turks have finally left the RoC alone it can begin to concentrate more on house-keeping, instead of having to defend and protect itself and its assets from all these invaders!

A supposed cash rich country blaming the Turks for all its woes....How about you personally taking these GC land owners to the EU courts that set their land on fire so they can build on it?? The so called FREE arrears have all the protection they need so go for it!!!

What nonsense! 80 Million Turks come and plunder the resources of 800,000 GCs because they are considered too rich by these third world Turkish thieves! Do the same in wealthy Iran why don't you, then see what reaction you meet.

As for GCs setting fire to land to build upon; that is again total rubbish as the building laws do not change after a fire. So, you are once again, merely, muck-spreading.

[Oracle]

... but acceleration of stone quarrying for export to Turkey is a direct function of economic isolation.

Pax ... do you also similarly, sweepingly, justify the selling of GC homes because of "economic isolation"?

[Oracle]

What is it with Turks and Brits, always stealing our Marbles!

[YFred]

What is it with Turks and Brits, always stealing our Marbles!

It's your fault for losing them.

[bill cobbett]

I am afraid that Billy boy Bobbit doesn't open his mouth much except to spread propaganda........He onmce accused me of being a liar because I said I had a sister

I have often and quite truthfully accused Zonny of spreading porkies, but as to his sister...

Zan, I am certain I have never, ever made any comment of any kind about this good woman, who I understand is not well. If this be the case, I wish her better. Your comments re: her are bizarre in the extreme. Look forward to you correcting this strangest of claims.

Go check your facts Zan, you're confused again, you've mixed me up with some one else.

Freddie - If people want to cross-dress, be gay, be not gay, go cage-fight, not cage-fight. It's up to them; free world and all that.

[Nikitas]

It will be funny to see how things go with the EU fauna and flora protection. Once you let the doors open for that then you are down a very slippery slope. If protected bird X inhabits area Y then the area is under protection and there is no excuse for exploiting even a fraction of it. Holland has been dragged to the ECJ over its failure to protect the whole habitat of some bird in Zeeland.

As for the destruction of the mountain, the numbers given by the TRNC speak volumes. Kyrenia used to house 3000 people before the invasion, now it houses 60 000. Environmental degradation is unavaoidable with such expansion.

Not that countryside stewardship is any better in the south, around the big cities and resort areas. As long as Cypriots see land development as the chief means to wealth these problems will be endemic. We are all determined to turn our coast line into a dump.

[Pax]

No mate.

Forests will naturally recover from fires; re-seeding and re-establishing themselves, as they do in the Free Areas of the Troodos. What you see in the Kyrenia Mountains, where you are lucky to see a single tree, is deliberate destruction by the Turkish Army.

Bill Cobbett - I've just spent the afternoon walking in the Pentadaktylos/Besparmak, including as they run behind Kyrenia. I can assure you that there are tens of thousands of trees. Wherever do you get the idea that you'd be "lucky to see a single tree" ?

I agree that the quarrying is an environmental disaster (You should see what has happened to parts of Derbyshire or Dorset !) but acceleration of stone quarrying for export to Turkey is a direct function of economic isolation. If the country can only export through Turkey and it only has limited export capacity, and one of them is in stone, it is hardly surprising that stone will be exported.

There is absolutely no evidence that the Turkish army deliberately sets fire to forests. Yes such a story feeds well into the anti-Turkey propaganda machine but it is basically bollocks. Of what possible use to Turkey would setting forests alight be ? I'd have thought we're well past the "GCs/TCs ate my baby" stage of history.

My Dear Pax,

Very pleased to hear of your afternoon well spent in what is left of the Northern Mountains.

I do not know Derbyshire terribly well but must thank you for the opportunity to say that I know Dorset very well indeed and am able to tell you that the relatively small scale quarrying for the much prized Purbeck Marble in this latter county of GB is one with strict environmental controls and whose use as a local building material in the built environment can be seen in some of the most attractive, post-card picture villages of Englsh Villages in such places as Corfe and the Matravers. Much the same can be said of the situation on Portland, again in DorsetGB, and another placeI have visited many, many times, whose stone has been used in some of the most notable buildings here in London.

So these are Enhancements to our much-cherished GB Countryside. The same, and I think that you would agree, can't be said of the plain and simple exploitation and get rich quick with a few back-handers, under the table, to the Usual Suspect Big-Wig Thieves in the Illegal Regime in Tnucland

As to my allegations regarding the Turkish Army of Occupation's habit of deliberate deforestation, I can only suggest that we see this as maintaining lines of sight and denying the CY NG Liberation Army defensive cover in the passes.

I agree that the Dorset quarries have largely been landscaped and 'restored' so as to minimise the visual impact but that has taken many decades to achieve. There are huge schemes in Derbyshire and Sutherland, for example, which are massive and ongoing which it is impossible to hide or mitigate.
Whatever the motives and whoever does it, there's not much disguising massive holes in the ground and the quarries on the southerly slope of the Pentadakylos/Besparmak (like those on the slopes of the Troodos) are horrible scars which deface as much as those hideous 'flags'. The truth is that historically Cyprus has for long been an extraction economy whether asbestos from Troodos or the ores and minerals from Lefke and the rehabiliation of these areas has been of mixed success (Troodos asbestos not bad, Lefke ores criminally negligent).

I don't buy your comment about 'lines of sight' but that's not important to quibble about.

[bill cobbett]

Would agree with N and P re: the environmental devestation of some parts of the Free Areas, particularly the Coast.

[Nikitas]

Part of the problem is the almost fanatic embracing of steel reinforced concrete as a primary construction material. Concrete needs inert mixes, ie bits of mountain.

With so many graduate engineers you would think Cyprus would develop a less environmentally demanding way to build, ie steel framed buildings, which are also more amenable to recycling. But, no, we are stuck on concrete, we know everything, we are the champions!