No concertation procedure
With an act that is at least questionable, Sicily region, instead of reviewing the forms, transforms the ZSC (former SIC) sites into SPAs to hastily comply with the infringement procedure of the European Commission. To our great surprise we learned, by chance, of a new DDG, precisely n.1289 of 07 November 2024, with which the General Director of the Department of the Environment has established 88 new SPAs (Special Protection Areas) on as many ZSC (Special Conservation Areas) sites, without any consultation procedure with the associations, in particular the hunting ones.
The PUMS
2000/2015, in which the Commission also requests the revision of the Conservation Measures envisaged in the Natura 2163 sites, highlighting several insufficient or even missing parts. Among these notes from the Commission to Italy there is also the reference to the presence of birds in the SIC (now ZSC) forms, when they should not have been present, since the SIC-ZSC are established pursuant to the Habitats Directive 2000/92 EEC, which protects natural habitats and some animal species other than birds.
A decidedly high number
The Sicily Region has established in the past 245 Natura 2000 sites of which 204 ZSC, 16 ZSC/ZPS, 16 ZPS, 9 SIC. Today with the DDG 1289, the Environment Department shows that it “was wrong” about 88 ZSC, which should not have contained birds in the forms. To overcome the infringement procedure, instead of adapting the forms by removing the birds, the Department did it first by designating the 88 ZSC also as ZPS, even though until a few years ago they evidently did not have the characteristics. Such a high number, 88 ZPS on sites previously designated ZSC, does not convince on the fact that the characteristics of the places can have changed compared to the previous classifications. In essence, the Department of the Environment, without any particular conditioning by the Ministry of the Environment, had no obligation to identify other SPAs, but only to adapt the forms, while in fact it added the two types of Site (SPAs and ZSCs). This territorial planning action was also issued through a simple decree of the General Manager, without any consultation with the stakeholders, configuring a lack of transparency in the process, which should have at least involved the Regional Council.
The clarifications requested
In view of the VAS-VINCA procedure on the new Wildlife Hunting Plan, this act is worrying, since the expectations of the Sicilian hunting world are to finally resolve the unacceptable anomaly that only in Sicily prohibits hunting in Natura 2000 sites, except for some exceptions and with unjustified limitations. The DDG 1289 appears, instead, to be guided by the desire to maintain highly restrictive rules in the sites for bird hunting in Sicily. For this reason, we have written to the Department of Territory and Environment asking for clarifications on the procedure followed, and we will keep high attention on the Impact Assessment process, which through the Wildlife Hunting Plan will regulate hunting in Natura 2000 sites (FIDC Sicilia, Siciliana Caccia and Consiglio Siciliano Caccia Pesca e Ambiente).
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