Does no-one notice nature? Do authorities care in TRNC?

THE proverbial hot potato passed through various government departments this week as news emerged of more concrete in paradise, this time on the Natura 2000-protected Mersinlik coastline.

So much for the iconic North Cyprus turtles, whose images draw thousands of tourists to the island and benefit its hotels and tour guides and even a mobile phone company.

One rather wishes that they could speak their minds.

Everyone wants to buy a piece of heaven rather than live in a hell of traffic and highrise and there are plenty of real estate and construction companies just waiting to deliver.

And who wouldn't want to rake in foreign currency in the present economic climate, rather than work for a rapidly diminishing monthly wage paid in Turkish lira?

This priceless virgin coastline preserved for turtles is open to the public to visit and enjoy as well as long as they don’t move in and turn it into their own backyard.

But natural habitat like this is under siege.

While the hot potato does the rounds, the concrete has gone up, the rock formations have been sliced up and now the local authorities must sort it out.

Either planning permission was given or not. But where were the local authorities while the build was going up over the past couple of months? Did no-one notice?

Not until the build became evident and was spotted by people who don’t just care about the environment but care for it, by collecting statistics, doing research and sourcing considerable off-island funding and qualified volunteers.

University graduates are paying to come here and walk our beaches every day, pick up our litter and protect our wildlife and they have the real support of many expats, local people and government officials.

A streamlined, transparent planning process is now needed to help the construction industry do its job, with hefty fines for opportunists and string-pullers and an obligation to remove the eyesores they have illegally created.