Agroforestry in Cyprus: Agroforestry Systems and Climate Plans

Agroforestry in Cyprus involves trees and herbaceous vegetation coexisting on agricultural land, permanent crops, or pastures, including cypress windbreaks. Found mainly in semi-mountainous zones, these systems feature Mediterranean and Eastern shrublands without defined tree density thresholds. The 2023–2029 CAP Strategic Plan mentions agroforestry as natural or planted, but does not specify how the planned 50 hectares of planting are allocated. The CLIS database is not on the EU Inspire portal but accessible via national geospatial portals. SIFA enables mapping of plot boundaries, land use, and landscape features such as tree lines. The plan aggregates results under indicator 17 without distinguishing actions, and does not detail costs for indicator 16, which covers annual payments for tree planting. Cyprus has approximately 47.5 million hectares of agroforestry (Den Herder et al., 2015), including extensive areas of 'tree deserts' — agricultural and pasture lands with minimal tree cover on mineral soils under high environmental pressure. Priority is recommended for establishing agroforestry systems in these districts. Although the CAP plan includes various ecological regimes and agri-environmental measures, no specific regimes or associated crops are recorded.