Environmental organisations expressed “strong disappointment and concern” over the termination of Antonia Theodosiou as environment commissioner, lamenting her departure as a loss of environmental expertise for Cyprus.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday, environmental and cultural groups thanked Theodosiou for her “contribution to nature, environment protection, and animal welfare.

The organisations said her departure represented a “loss of valuable knowledge and experience” and argued that Cyprus needed “more, not less, scientific knowledge and expertise in public office”.

Theodosiou was appointed by President Nikos Christodoulides in January 2024 after working on the Akamas sustainable development plan.

Her appointment was controversial from the outset, with the Ecologists stressing that it did not represent an agreement between the party and the government.

The position itself was further subject to criticism, for the party questioned the institutional status of the commissioner, arguing that the office had existed since 2006 without sufficient legal basis, structure or powers to implement environmental policy effectively.

Theodosiou came under fire following a House committee hearing over the Limassol wildfires, when she admitted she had not personally met Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou over environmental restoration.

Akel MP Aristos Damianou described her conduct at the time as “institutional absence and inaction”.

In March 2025, Theodosiou opposed a request concerning the training of hunting dogs in protected Natura 2000 areas.

Her office called for the game and fauna service to revoke a decree concerning 13 protected areas.

The dispute put her office against the Game and Fauna Service and hunting interests over whether dog training should be permitted in protected areas.

In May, she called for the immediate cancellation of environmental approval for roadworks between the Baths of Aphrodite and Fontana Amorosa in Akamas, warning of possible damage to protected ecosystems and breaches of environmental requirements.

She also publicly challenged aspects of the management of Akamas, arguing in June that the current administrative structure made it difficult to manage the peninsula as a single natural and cultural area.

Theodosiou argued for an end to the euthanasia of healthy stray dogs when homes could not be found within 30 days and highlighted problems with uncontrolled breeding and inadequate shelters and veterinary services.

Her comments prompted criticism online, leading her office to accuse some social media posts of containing “incorrect and misleading statements”.

Her office was also drawn into questions surrounding a multi-storey house near the Kryos river in Platres.

After environmentalists questioned how permission had been granted for construction in the sensitive area, Theodosiou said an investigation was examining the circumstances surrounding the permit and later proposed measures to make the building more compatible with its surroundings.

The government has since replaced Theodosiou with former Edek MP Elias Myrianthous.