November 14 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) on Friday called on the country's Government and institutions to take an "exceedingly responsible approach" to the conservation and management of the Natura 2000 pan-European network of protected sites.

The appeal comes in the wake of a Communication from the European Commission of November 12, according to which the Commission has decided to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the European Union over non-compliance with its obligations under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC).

Bulgaria has not yet designated 194 of a total of 229 Sites of Community Importance (SCI) under the Habitats Directive within the mandatory deadline. The country systematically and consistently fails to fulfill its obligation to establish site-specific conservation objectives and conservation measures. These requirements are key to the conervation of biodiversity in the EU, the Commission said.

Bulgaria announced a new approach to the management of Natura 2000 on its territory, which was presented to the Commission in 2017, but is not yet implemented. The lack of conservation objectives corresponding to the legal standard of the Habitats Directive leads to flaws in the appropriate assessments of projects affecting the Natura 2000 network, which covers nearly 35 per cent of the territory of the country, the Commission said in its communication.

The BSPB called on the Government to issue individual orders designating all SCIs under Directive 92/43/EEC and to cooperate with the research community, civil society and stakeholders in establishing site-specific conservation objectives and measures for the Natura 2000 protected sites. The Society further insists on an integration of the need to conserve biological diversity into sector policies and in planning strategic documents in every sector.

Designation of conservation areas as habitats stagnated between 2014 and 2019. Orders designating 186 protected areas as habitats have now been gazetted, and the Council of Ministers has adopted a decision changing the boundaries of the remaining 43 protected areas, which the European Commission is expected to approve. Development of specific and detailed conservation objectives has been assigned for 64 protected areas, and this development for 43 areas is due for completion by November 30, 2021. Action has been taken to commission the establishment of objectives for a further 22 areas.