The grazing problem in Ranti forest, at Pafos county in Cyprus

Ranti forest is at the south of Cyprus, about 20 km east of the town of Pafos and 30 km west of the town of Limassol. It covers a total area of 1443 hectares of which 349,2 ha have been recently declared as National Forest Park, 345 ha are main state forest, 423,7 are minor state forest and 325,1 ha are private land. The climate of the area is typically Mediterranean; the annual average rainfall is about 363 mm, the dry period lasts from June to September and the 87% of the total rainfall falls in the period between November to March. At the largest part of the area the vegetation is composed of Mediterranean shrubs known as maquis, with scattered small trees. The maquis are divided into two categories, the “high maquis” dominated by Juniperus phoenicea Olea europaea and Ceratonia siliqua and the “low maquis” dominated by Pistacia lentiscus, Calycotome villosa, Inula viscosa and Sarcopoterium spinosum. The area attracts a great number of visitors, as it contains two locations that are connected with Greek mythology, Aphrodite’s birthplace and “Petra tou Romiou”. Also a large part of private land had been developed into a big hotel and villas complex. Livestock husbandry is highly developed in the area, to the point that it forms a major problem to the vegetation, leading the area to desertification. According to existing data, they graze 4942 sheep and (mostly) goats in the area. Grazing is practiced according to the village system without transhumance mainly without the presence of a shepherd. Given that private land is fenced the stocking density in the state forests and the National Forest Park is calculated to be 4,42 sheep equivalents/ha/year while the grazing capacity of the area is estimated to 1 sheep equivalents/ha/year.