Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what area of acacia trees has been removed from the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area in 2015 to date.

No acacia trees have been removed from the range at CapePyla in the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area (SBA) in 2015. The SBA Administration is currently evaluating options to remove acacia this year, which needs to take account of what funds can be provided for this purpose and the impact on military training. The SBA Administration will announce shortly that, subject to consultation, CapePyla will be designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) site. If the SAC designation is confirmed, the site will require management of the invasive species of acacia. Therefore, the decision to remove some of the acacia trees in 2014 and further proposed efforts to do so in 2015 is entirely consistent with the proposed designation of the site.