Cyprus

Cyprus is an island located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, with a terrestrial area of over 9,200km² and a marine area close to 98,000km². The dominant physical features on the island are the Troodos Mountains and the Mesaoria plain. Mount Olympus stands as the highest point, reaching 1,952m in elevation. Cyprus has a population of 1.2 million people, resulting in a population density of 123.4 people per km².

of land covered by protected areas

of marine waters

covered by protected areas

species protected

under EU law

habitats protected

under EU law

Protected areas in Cyprus cover a total of km² on land and km² at sea.

Percentage of area covered by protected areas

Currently, of the terrestrial territory of country is designated as protected areas, which is significantly above the EU value of 26.4%. The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
In the marine waters of country, protected areas coverage is currently at , somewhat below the EU value of 12.1%.

Number of protected areas

Cyprus has a total of protected areas, comprising sites designated under national laws and sites recognized as Natura 2000 sites. These Natura 2000 sites are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas, and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance. Many sites are designated under both Directives.

Number of protected areas

Protected areas designated

under national laws

Designated sites

in the Natura 2000 network

Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000

In Cyprus, almost half of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are designated exclusively under national laws. The other half consists of a small portion of Natura 2000 sites ( ) or those areas where Natura 2000 sites overlap with national designations ( ). The marine protected areas network in Cyprus largely consists of Natura 2000 sites, with a very small portion covered by areas where these overlap with national designations.

Spatial distribution of protected areas network

Protected areas designated under national laws

Designated sites in the Natura 2000 network

Size distribution of protected areas network

Terrestrial protected areas in Cyprus vary quite significantly in size and include a bigger proportion of larger sites than in many other EU countries. Same is true for the marine protected areas network of Cyprus where all sites are larger than 1km² and 13% of site are larger than 1,000km².

Natura 2000 sites

Natura 2000 sites in Cyprus cover species and habitats from the nature directives. The number of species and habitats protected in each site varies depending on the location of the site, the biodiversity in the region, the designation being used, and the features the site is being created to protect.

Species protected in Cyprus under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Cyprus hosts protected under the Habitats Directive, which is approximately 4% of the total of the Habitats Directive’s species and protected birds, which is approximately 39% of the species protected under the Birds Directive.

species protected under EU law

species under the Habitats Directive

species under the Birds Directive

Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive

In Cyprus, of species assessments indicate a good conservation status, while the EU average corresponds to 27.5%. The proportion of assessments indicating bad conservation status is reaching , compared to the EU average of 20.6%.

Protected species composition by taxonomic group

In Cyprus, the distribution of protected species across taxonomic groups highlights the prominence of birds, comprising the largest proportion at 76.6%. They are followed by mammals, accounting for 9.3% of protected species, and vascular plants, representing 6.3%

Conservation Status by Taxa

In Cyprus, the assessment of species groups reveals that amphibians and arthropods have the highest proportion of species with a good conservation status, standing at 100%. Reptiles exhibit the highest percentage of species with a bad conservation status, reaching 7.6%, while mammals also have a proportion of species in bad conservation status at 4.5%. Mammals is the only group with some species in unknown conservation status, standing at 31.8%.

Habitats protected in Cyprus under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. Cyprus hosts habitat types, which is approximately 18% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.

habitats protected under EU law in Cyprus

Conservation status of habitats

In Cyprus 45.2% of habitats assessments indicate a good conservation status which is considerably above the EU average of 14.7%. The proportion of assessments indicating a bad conservation status, amounting to 35.7%, is aligned with the EU average of 35.8%.

Protected habitat composition by group

In Cyprus the group of protected habitats with the largest number consists of forests (26.1%), coastal and salt-tolerant habitats (23.8%) of the total. Following behind are rocky habitats and coastal and inland dunes, each accounting 11.9% of the protected habitats.

Conservation status by group

In Cyprus the assessment of habitat groups reveals that rocky habitats have the highest proportion of good conservation status, standing at 80%. Following behind are grasslands, with 50% of habitat types in good conservation status. On the other hand, dune habitats exhibit the highest percentage of habitat types with a bad conservation status reaching 60%, while coastal habitats also have a significant proportion of habitat types in bad conservation status at 50%.

Cyprus is predominantly characterised by three main types of ecosystems: Agroecosystems, which cover 48.2% of the country, followed by Forest ecosystems occupying 27.7% of the land area, and heathlands accounting for 15.5%. However, Cyprus has relatively smaller proportions of urban areas (8.8%), rivers and lakes (0.2%), and wetland ecosystems (0.2%).

In terms of the protected area network, forests constitute the largest portion, covering 52.3% of the protected areas. Agroecosystems make up 25.6% of the protected areas, reflecting the importance of conserving and managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity. Heathlands contribute to 18.2% of the protected areas, while urban areas account for 3.4% and rivers and lakes represent 0.4%.