Cyprus’s Forestry Department has issued a fresh reminder to visitors of the country’s National Forest Parks that barbecues, birthday parties and unauthorised commercial activities are strictly off-limits, as part of a wider effort to maintain standards at the island’s most popular green spaces.
The rules, which apply in particular to the Athalassa and Pedagogical Academy parks near Nicosia, are not new but are being reissued amid what the Department describes as its ongoing policy of providing a high standard of forest recreation for the public.
Chief among the restrictions is an outright ban on lighting fires anywhere in the parks, whether for cooking food or smoking shisha — a rule the Department says it enforces strictly, whatever the occasion. Visitors wanting to hold a birthday party or any other organised gathering must first obtain permission from the Department, while any form of commercial activity, including summer schools, is barred without prior approval.
Dog owners are required to keep their pets on a leash and stick to designated walking routes, while cyclists face similar restrictions: riding is permitted only on marked trails, at low speed, with off-road cycling banned outright. Parking, too, is confined to designated areas.
The Department also used the notice to settle a smaller but persistent source of friction among park-goers: picnic tables and benches, aside from those attached to on-site refreshment kiosks, are common property and cannot be reserved in advance for exclusive use.
