Cyprus records 450 poaching complaints a year as penalties fall short
The head of the Game and Fauna Service told a parliamentary committee that around 450 poaching cases are reported annually, but repeat offenders escape deterrent punishment.
Cyprus logs an average of 450 poaching complaints every year, the head of the Game and Fauna Service, Pantelis Hadjigerou, told the House Environment Committee on Wednesday, according to Cyprus Mail. He said that while four or five professional poachers are reported, the penalties they face are not deterrent.
Hadjigerou told MPs that cooperation between his service and environmental organisations is excellent. He also said a bill is being prepared to protect lawful hunting from harassment, including a ban on the use of drones during hunting.
The committee met on its own initiative to discuss the activity of specific environmental activist groups and individuals, following a proposal by ELAM MPs Linos Papagiannis and Linos Ioannou Hadjigeorgiou. A representative of the Law Office said a bill linking environmental crime to its financial dimension, with tougher penalties for both legal and natural persons, will be submitted in the first half of 2027.
Papagiannis, who chairs the committee, said there is testimony and evidence that a particular activist organisation commits criminal code violations every week, and that files submitted to the Justice Ministry point to mapping of Cyprus and links to the pseudo-state. He also said police officers are "terrorised" by the organisation, which is not based on the island.
MPs split over activists
AKEL parliamentary spokesman Giorgos Loukaidis accused the committee of targeting activists, asking how many convictions there have been for harassment of lawful hunters, and arguing that threats against game wardens come from criminal elements profiting from illegal activity. DIKO president Nikolas Papadopoulos said Cyprus has been bound by the Aarhus Convention since 2003 and that environmental organisations should not be criminalised, while stressing that no one is above the law.
Assistant Police Chief Ioannis Georgiou told MPs that the force has never carried out coordinated operations with environmental organisations, only with the Game and Fauna Service. AKEL MP Nikos Kettiros asked for poaching to be examined at the committee's next session. Hadjigerou said a clear line must be drawn between lawful hunting and poaching.
What it means for residents
Poaching and the confrontation around it touch rural areas directly, but for most residents the practical effect of Wednesday's session is limited — it was a discussion, not a decision. The bills mentioned are still at preparation stage.
- Watch for the 2027 bill. Tougher penalties for environmental crime would only take effect once the legislation passes, so nothing changes in the short term.
- Drones during hunting. A planned ban on drone use in hunting areas could affect anyone flying one near hunting land.
- Reporting stays with the service. Complaints about poaching should still go to the Game and Fauna Service, not to activist groups.
info.cy editorial team. This note was prepared with the help of AI.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
