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Environmental information systems
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
is covered
by protected areas
%
of marine waters
is covered
by protected areas
species
are protected
under EU law
habitats
are protected
under EU law
Sources: Terrestrial protected area coverage by country and in the EU-27 by the end of 2023, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas (2023), Conservation status of habitat types and species: datasets from Article 17, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC reporting (2013-2018).
In 2023, of terrestrial area of is designated as protected areas, above the EU value of 26.4%. With a coverage of in its marine waters, is below the EU value of 12.1%.
The data sources and related statistics refer to 2023, therefore aligned with the EEA indicators: Designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe, Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, Marine protected areas in Europe's seas.
Percentage of area covered by protected areas
Evolution of area covered by protected areas
From 2012 to 2023 the share of terrestrial protected areas in increased by 20.1%, above the EU value increase of 1.8%.
National marine protected areas coverage trends are not available because methodological changes prevent a consistent comparison across years.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy has set a target of reaching 30% protected area coverage at the EU level by 2030.
If you want to know more about the Biodiversity Strategy, you can explore the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and in particular the Dashboard section showing progress of the EU and its Member States towards the Biodiversity Strategy targets set for 2030.
Distribution of protected areas between national designations and Natura 2000
In , almost half of the protected areas in the terrestrial environment are designated under national laws ( The other half consists of a small portion of Natura 2000 sites ( ). In the marine waters of , the protected areas, accounting for , are designated as Natura 2000 sites.
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 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 where all sites are larger than 1km2 and 13% of site are larger than 1,000km2.
A focus on Natura 2000 sites in
has a total of Natura 2000 sites, they are designated under the Birds Directive, encompassing Special Protection Areas (SPA), and the Habitats Directive, encompassing Sites of Community Importance (SCI). Many sites are designated under both Directives.
Species protected in under EU law fall under the Habitats and Birds Directives. 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.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
species protected under EU law
species under the Habitats Directive
species under the Birds Directive
Conservation Status of species: Habitats Directive
In , 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 , 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 , 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 under EU law fall under the Habitats Directive. hosts habitat types, which is approximately 18% of the total of habitat types protected by the Habitats Directive.
The figures are based on data electronically reported by the Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) on the conservation status of habitat types and species for the 2013–2018 reporting period.
habitats protected under EU law in
Conservation status of habitats
In 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 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 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%).
The figures are based on the dataset "Ecosystem types of Europe 2012 - Full map (marine and terrestrial habitats) - version 3 revision 1, Feb. 2019".
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%.